DMK deputy general secretary and MP A. Raja has deleted a controversial social media post targeting the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) after facing widespread criticism over remarks that were seen as derogatory towards women.
The controversy erupted after VCK and IUML announced their decision to join the cabinet of the Tamil Nadu government led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. Following the announcement, Raja posted strongly worded comments on social media criticising both parties for aligning with the ruling TVK government.
In one of the now-deleted posts, Raja used metaphorical language involving a “ladder” and a “leopard” while accusing the two parties of compromising their ideological positions for political power.
He wrote, “The ladder given to climb up before,
And the “panther” meant to smash blind casteism,
If they are going to prop up
A mere sound of a “whistle”;
Then, casting aside the one who wedded her,
There is nothing wrong
In searching for another place for copulation!
Though we shall wait
For Periyar’s “context of time, place, and circumstance”;
We shall enter the battlefield!
Victory is ours!”
The post quickly went viral and triggered backlash from social media users, including women, activists and political commentators, who alleged that the wording and comparisons used in the post carried insulting and demeaning connotations towards women.
After criticism intensified online, Raja removed the post from his social media page. Raja subsequently shared another message asking what term should be used to describe the actions of the two parties, while stating that people themselves should decide.
He wrote, “If a coconut tree planted in my home garden
Bends low and hunches over
To give tender coconut water to the opposite house,
In classical literature, it is named
“Muda-Themgu” (The Crippled/Bent Coconut Tree)!
What name can we give it in politics?
Long live Tamil!”
In classical Tamil literature, Muda-Themgu (முடத்தெங்கு) refers to a coconut tree that sprouts on one person’s land but leans so far over the fence that all its shade, leaves, and fruits (tender coconuts) drop into the neighbor’s yard. The person who nurtured it gets nothing; the neighbor gets everything.
#JustNow || #JustNow || விசிக, ஐயூஎம்எல்ஐ விமர்சிக்க பெண்களை இழிவு செய்யும் வகையில் ஆ.ராசா கருத்து… கடும் எதிர்ப்பு.. பதிவை டெலீட் செய்துள்ளார் ஆ.ராசா#IUML | #VCK | #Raja | #TVK | #Politics | #Alliance | #PolimerNews pic.twitter.com/qux05rX8RT
— Polimer News (@polimernews) May 22, 2026
The latest post appeared to be an attempt to respond to the backlash that followed his earlier remarks.
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