Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran on Monday issued an apology hours after his remarks about actor Trisha Krishnan sparked widespread criticism.
“In my political career I do not allow any personal comments and nor do I make any. But that day I deviated from it,” Nagendran said, expressing regret over his statement.
He added that Vanathi Srinivasan, the BJP’s national Mahila Morcha president, and former state party chief K Annamalai had counselled him, making it clear that the remarks were inappropriate. “I full heartedly apologise,” he said.
The controversy began on Saturday when Nagendran took Krishnan’s name while responding to a question about actor-turned-politician Vijay, who leads the fledgling Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam and is set to make his electoral debut in the upcoming elections.
Criticising Vijay’s political experience, Nagendran said, “He is inexperienced. Tell him to come out first. Tell him to come out of Trisha’s house first.”
Krishnan described the comment linking her with Vijay as “distasteful.” In a statement Krishnan’s advocate said, “My client never expected that such distasteful and inappropriate remarks would be made by a person holding a high stature in the State’s political space.”
The statement further clarified her political position: “My client makes it very clear that she is not affiliated with any political party nor does she intend to be. Further, just as my client has continuously maintained in the past, she has always taken a neutral stand when it comes to politics.”
Sharing the statement on social media, Trisha wrote, “Disrespect must be called out.”
The remarks drew sharp reactions from several political quarters. Leaders of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alleged that the comments reflected a lack of respect for women, while members of the Indian National Congress questioned the relevance of bringing the actor’s name into political debate.
Although Nagendran initially stood by his comments and declined to retract them, he later said he regretted the statement if it had hurt anyone, bringing a temporary close to the controversy.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
