In what can be called as a behaviour unbefitting for a person holding public office, Madurai Central MLA and Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan unleashed abuses and made personal attacks on Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan who had called out the former for insulting Goa during the 43rd GSR Council meeting.
Goa’s Transport Minister, Mauvin Godinho had stated in a press conference that Palanivel Thiagarajan, insulted Goa during the GST meeting by stating that because Goa is a small state, its views should not be given weightage.
Godinho later in a tweet stated, “I want to remind the new Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr. Palanivel, refrain from conducting yourself in a manner as a big brother versus small brother or big state versus small state. We all have equal rights. His attitude should be condemned by one and all right-thinking people. He should not target Goa.”
He demanded an apology from Palanivel Thiagarajan for disrespecting smaller states, including Goa, at the meeting.
To this, Thiagarajan issued a long statement in which he justified his stance at the GST Council meeting stating that ‘one state one vote’ and is fundamentally unfair and added that ‘Dravidian Movement’ was always for ‘States Rights’. He said that his entire statement during the meeting was consistent with these two principles.
He also went on to disclose certain proceedings of the meeting public through his statement in order to state that he was not against the interests of Goa.
Unbecoming of a person holding an esteemed public office, Palanivel Thiagarajan went on to make personal attacks on Goa’s Transport Minister.
Following this, Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan condemned the behaviour of Palanivel Thiagarajan’s behaviour at the GST Council meeting and called it an insult to democracy.
The behaviour of @ptrmadurai in the GST council meeting is an insult to our democracy and tarnishes the image of our great state.
Verbally abusing Goa’s tran. minister does nothing to advance TN’s interests. @ptrmadurai should apologise.https://t.co/nHLDmQX8ci
— Vanathi Srinivasan (@VanathiBJP) May 30, 2021
To this, the MIT educated Finance Minister remarked if the BJP woman MLA was a ‘congenital liar’ or a person with ‘low IQ’.
Stop tagging me with your lies and do some real work for a change….
Are you just a congenital liar, or really that low IQ, that you think anyone insults anyone in a GST council meeting…
Wait, wait. Don’t answer that. It’s a trick question….
You’re both! https://t.co/INBXlHRxQv
— Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (@ptrmadurai) May 30, 2021
The Finance Minister had later blocked the BJP woman MLA.
It is rather sad that our state’s finance minister, @ptrmadurai cannot tolerate criticism but would resort to petty measures
You can call me a liar or a low IQ person but that does not change the truth.
Your comments on @HRajaBJP & @SadhguruJV only reveal your nasty character. pic.twitter.com/Py4h3tcN5H
— Vanathi Srinivasan (@VanathiBJP) May 30, 2021
Palanivel Thiagarajan put out a derogatory post unbefitting of a person holding public office saying “I block you like a normal person closes a window to avoid bad smell”.
You once accused a fellow DMK spokesperson of being “unhappy that there weren’t more corpses to play politics with”🤦🏼♂️
I block you like a normal person closes a window to avoid a bad smell
Getting a “good character” certificate from you’d be demeaning
Don’t waste my time pls https://t.co/KQ5fl3auYG
— Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (@ptrmadurai) May 30, 2021
Later, Vanathi Srinivasan had put out a dignified response holding up the mirror to the ‘MIT educated’ Finance Minister saying that the latter lacked ‘political maturity’ and ‘social etiquette’.
Your political maturity and social etiquette is shown in your words.
Personally insulting people and hurling abuses are testaments to your character @ptrmadurai.
If work was considered as being rude and immature, it appears that you’re excelling at it. Be mindful of ur words. pic.twitter.com/aXLUBvnuKu
— Vanathi Srinivasan (@VanathiBJP) May 30, 2021
This is not the first time PTR has gone on a rant against public personalities who does not confirm to his views. Palanivel Thiagarajan had earlier picked fight with Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev over the latter’s demand for freeing temples from state control. This had led to spat with two other public personalities namely former Infosys director Mohandas Pai and The Hindu’s Malini Parthasarathy.
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