News Tamil Nadu

“Who Are You To Give Me A Certificate?” Tiruchi Cong MP Thirunavukkarasar Abuses Reporters Questioning His Absence From His Constituency

February 29, 2024
The Commune

The current political landscape in Tamil Nadu is marked by a prevailing trend of anonymous posters appearing across constituencies. These posters criticize and question the whereabouts of the Members of Parliament (MPs) from their respective constituencies, urging “If you see them, tell them to come” (Kanda Vara Sollunga). Notably, out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats, 38 are held by MPs affiliated with the DMK. The controversy surrounding the search for these MPs is fueled by the fact that they become active only during elections, seeking votes from the public.

Against this backdrop, the Trichy District Congress Party orchestrated a protest at the Trichy Tollgate to express their dissatisfaction with the central government’s handling of attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen. Thirunavukarasar, a Member of Parliament, actively participated in the demonstration expressing his dissatisfaction.

Following the protest, he engaged with the media, addressing the controversy surrounding a poster questioning his absence, which he labeled a “poster for the missing.” Thirunavukarasar strongly criticized reporters, questioning their credibility and suggesting biased questioning for financial motives.

Speaking to reporters Congress MP Thirunavukkarasar exclaimed, “I already said, how long have you been seeing me, didn’t you see me? Which channel are you from, are you seeing me for the first time today? Just today?” The reporter responded, “Only during election times.” This left MP Thirunavukkarasar astonished, and he retorted, “What is this, brother? How can you say that?” The reporter insisted, “Yes, sir, I’m telling the truth.”

Growing increasingly agitated, MP Thirunavukkarasar accused the reporter of dishonesty, alleging, “Tell me the truth, you are lying! You are taking money from someone, or you are someone’s slave and saying it as a slave. Yes, I would say so, not three years I’m coming here for five years. If you say you haven’t seen it, it means you’re not in town, or else you’re taking money from someone.” 

In a fit of anger, MP Thirunavukkarasar started threatening the reporter, suggesting that the reporter would remain silent if spoken to harshly, akin to Seeman. He questioned the nature of the reporter’s inquiries and rebuked, “It seems that you will be silent if I speak bad words like Seeman. What kind of questions are these? Who are you to ask me that you haven’t seen me all these years? Who are you to give me a certificate that you have not seen me for three years like a honest one? Did I ask for certificate from you? Do your duty. If you are a press person, will you ask whatever you want? Just stop there. I don’t need to answer whatever you ask, take the interview if you like it, else go away”. He then advised the reporter to remember his role as a member of the media and not behave like a politician.

With regard to the posters, he said, “On behalf of the opposition, ADMK and BJP have put up these posters everywhere, not only in Tiruchi but all 39 constituencies. All MPs are here only. It is you who hasn’t seen us. Does that mean I have never visited my constituency? How can you say that? Are you a politician? Behave like a reporter if you are one.”

When another reporter confronted MP Thirunavukkarasar with rumors about a possible switch to the BJP, he vehemently denied it, stating, “I’ll beat him with slippers, I’ve decided to speak like Seeman, If you question me like this, my reply will be like this only. I am in politics for nearly 50 years and you reporters are speaking like this! I am here in politics much before you came into journalism. There must be some quality in the questions you ask. Can you ask the same question to Stalin? The people around him will beat you up.”



The online community on social media strongly responded to the incident where the Congress Member of Parliament showed disrespect towards the news reporter. The netizens expressed their discontent and shared their reactions, creating a significant buzz

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram and WhatsApp and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.