logo
'Can't Be Mere Spectators': Madras HC Slams Ponmudi Over Obscene Remarks Insulting Hindu Sects

'Can't Be Mere Spectators': Madras HC Slams Ponmudi Over Obscene Remarks Insulting Hindu Sects

News1808-07-2025
Hearing the matter, Justice P Velmurugan slammed the DMK minister and said, "Nowadays these politicians feel that sky is the limit under Article 19."
The Madras High Court on Tuesday took up the suo motu case initiated over controversial remarks made by Tamil Nadu DMK Minister K Ponmudi on the tilaks of the Hindu sects, Saivites and Vaishnavites.
Hearing the matter, Justice P Velmurugan slammed the DMK minister and said, 'Nowadays these politicians feel that sky is the limit under Article 19. We can't be mere spectators. We live in a democracy with many communities."
'When they're coming to public, they must realise that they're living in a country which is meant for every person. It's not meant for any particular person. Not for the politician alone. Everyone must realise that they're living among the people," he added.
Earlier in April, Justice Venkatesh took serious note of the issue after an extract of the video containing Ponmudy's remarks was played in open court by a lawyer, during the hearing of a 2023 suo motu revision petition taken up by the court against the minister's acquittal in a case of disproportionate assets. This case was also initiated by justice Venkatesh.
Ponmudi, Tamil Nadu Forest Minister and senior DMK leader, landed into a major controversy for his speech at a public event, in which he made remarks linking Hindu religious identities with sexual positions.
In a viral video from the event, Ponmudi was heard saying, 'Women, please don't misunderstand," before narrating a joke where a man visits a sex worker, who then asks the man whether he is a Shaivite or Vaishnavite.
DMK MP Kanimozhi condemned the statement by Ponmudi. In a post on X, she wrote, 'Minister Ponmudi's recent speech is unacceptable. Regardless of the reason for the speech, such vulgar remarks are condemnable."
Following the controversy, the DMK removed Ponmudi from the post of deputy general secretary of the party.
First Published:
July 08, 2025, 12:33 IST
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

A father and a daughter, and the political volatility of Bangladesh
A father and a daughter, and the political volatility of Bangladesh

The Hindu

time2 hours ago

  • The Hindu

A father and a daughter, and the political volatility of Bangladesh

Call it providence or whatever, veteran journalist, editor, author Manash Ghosh's fortuitous introduction to politics was to go a long way in helping him understand the crests and troughs of political leaders and ideologies in Bangladesh, India's eastern neighbour. As a cub reporter, he had gone to cover the Second Asian Highway Car Rally organised by a UN body, from Tehran to Dhaka. Instead, he ended up talking to a few locals. Years later, he wrote in his book, Bangladesh War: Report from Ground Zero, 'I got talking to three Bengali strangers. Great talkers, as most Bengalis are, they chronicled for me the events on their own — from Field Marshal Ayub Khan's downfall to General Yahya Khan's rise to power, and Sheikh Mujib's six-point autonomy movement....I asked them point blank whether they were from Sheikh Mujib's Awami League. Their immediate riposte was, 'Every Bengali today, whether Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist, in East Pakistan, is a committed follower of Sheikh Mujib and his Awami League.' That was in November 1970, barely months before the Liberation War. The cost of arrogance But why did the Liberation War take place? Among many reasons, was the supposed arrogance of West Pakistan's military and civil leadership. As expressed by Muntassir Mamoon who went to Pakistan some 25 years ago for his book The Vanquished Generals and the Liberation War of Bangladesh, 'The general assumption was that the people in East Pakistan, because they were Bengalis, were pro-Hindu. Rao Farman Ali, the person responsible for the murder of the intellectuals in 1971, said that the Hindus were influencing the East Pakistanis. Major General Umar, who was the Secretary of the Security Council of Pakistan in 1971, expressed the same opinion. By pro-Hindu, they actually meant pro-India.' Incidentally, Mamoon was asked, 'After the creation of Pakistan, why did Jinnah first go to Karachi instead of Dhaka? He should have first gone to Dhaka because 56 per cent of the population of Pakistan were in the East.' Probably, there lay the germ of the conflict. Cut to August 2024 when Sheikh Mujib's elder daughter Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power and banished from the country. Hasina's ouster was a little under 50 years after Mujib, once said to have had the support of every Bangladeshi, was killed on August 15, 1975. Ghosh, widely respected as an expert on Bangladesh politics, clears the cobwebs in his new book. As he writes in the epilogue of Blunders: The Power and the Plot Behind his Killing, 'There are striking similarities between what happened preceding 15 August 1975 — when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with 18 of his family members was killed — and that which occurred almost 50 years later on 5 August 2024 again in Dhaka when Mujib's elder daughter Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power in a bloodless coup. While in the case of Mujib, the CIA station chief in Dacca was the specific actor, in his daughter's case, there were two actors — Peter Haas, the U.S. envoy in Dhaka, and an American Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu — who had already earned tremendous notoriety of being a past master in covert regime change operations having toppled, in the recent past, governments in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.' Power games It might appear surprising to a layman who bought into the claims of a student revolution in the country, but in Ghosh's view in the book, it was far from it. He writes, 'Hasina was anathema to Dhaka-based American diplomats who did not forgive her for rejecting out of hand their government's request to hand over the offshore St. Martin's island in the Bay of Bengal on a long lease to the Americans. The latter wanted to build a U.S. naval base for keeping an eye on Chinese and Indian naval build-up in the region. Washington wanted to have a regime led by someone who would be beholden to it and enjoyed its full trust and confidence.' It's quite possible that students and the people of Bangladesh did not understand the politics behind Hasina's removal. But what of Mujib's blunders after he had everything going for him? The picture is cleared by Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, who writes in the foreword of Ghosh's book, 'Mujib failed to punish the collaborators of Pakistan out of failed to foresee that these pro-Pakistan elements would take full advantage of his magnanimity and impede his policies for the benefit of Pakistan. One such example was the 1972 India-Bangladesh Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation. The treaty was being an instrument of India's hegemonistic and Pakistan conveyed their disapproval to had not recognised Bangladesh and this was used as an excuse to decry the treaty.' Incidentally, China recognised Bangladesh only after Mujib's assassination during the dictatorship of Gen Ziaur Rehman who was known for his anti-India stance. During the decade-long rule of Major Zia's widow, Begum Khaleda Zia, the Liberation War was dubbed an 'India-inspired controversy which robbed Muslim Bengalis of their religious rights and identity'. Tragic twist Indeed, Mujib was too trusting of those not worthy of his trust. He paid the ultimate price. His country suffered too. Recalls Ghosh in his thoughtfully written book, 'Mujib, or Bangabandhu, as he was popularly known, even after witnessing acts of betrayal by his supposed 'very close' confidants, like Mushtaq and Taheruddin sought to ignore the clear warning signals. He had been warned by Tajuddin not to be blind to the misdeeds of the venous snakes in the grass that abounded in the party.' Interestingly, in a rare departure from the spotlight on Mujib, Ghosh seeks to give Tajuddin (prime minister in exile in India) credit for much of the early success, writing, 'Bangladesh would never have been liberated had Tajuddin not been the prime minister of the interim government. His unique leadership capability to bring people of different political hues, professions and religious faiths under the liberation war fold remains unparalleled.' In fact, Tajuddin went back to Dhaka only after getting the Bangladesh currency notes printed in Nashik Press. It didn't prove a wise decision for him then. From 1971 to 2025, Bangladesh has experienced political volatility. Warns Ghosh, 'Political turbulence will gather steam and instability will continue to haunt this eastern neighbour of India. Hasina's Awami League is no pushover and far from a vanquished force.'

Rajendra Chola birth anniversary fete begins at Ariyalur; PM to attend finale on July 27
Rajendra Chola birth anniversary fete begins at Ariyalur; PM to attend finale on July 27

New Indian Express

time2 hours ago

  • New Indian Express

Rajendra Chola birth anniversary fete begins at Ariyalur; PM to attend finale on July 27

ARIYALUR/CHENNAI: The birth anniversary celebrations of Chola emperor Rajendra I (Aadi Thiruvathirai festival) commenced on Wednesday at the historic Brihadeeswarar temple in Gangaikondacholapuram in Ariyalur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest for the grand finale of the festival scheduled for July 27, announced the union government. At an event to mark the commencement of the festival, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, who also holds the archaeology portfolio, said the DMK government in 2021 declared Aadi Thiruvathirai as Rajendra Chola's official birth anniversary based on historical research. He credited historian Kudavayil Balasubramanian for identifying, through detailed epigraphic studies, that Rajendra Chola was born in the Thiruvathirai star of the Tamil month of Aadi, and not in Margazhi as previously believed. Transport Minister SS Sivasankar, who was present on the occasion, said, 'When Rajendra Chola designed the temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, he intentionally built the tower shorter than that of Thanjavur's Brihadeeswarar temple, out of respect for his father Rajaraja Chola. He didn't want to be seen as a son who surpassed his father. In today's political scenario, many must reflect on this Chola message.' Tourism Minister K Ramachandran, Information and Publicity Minister MP Saminathan, and VCK leader Thirumavalavan also took part in the event. Meanwhile, a release said Kalakshetra Foundation will stage a special Bharatanatyam group recital, followed by Devaram Thirumurai chanting by traditional Othuvars during the festival. A booklet on Devaram hymns, published by the Sahitya Akademi, will be formally released. The festival will conclude with a musical presentation by music maestro Ilaiyaraaja and his troupe. The release said objectives of the festival include highlighting the profound philosophical roots of Shaiva Siddhanta and the role of Tamil in its dissemination, honouring the contributions of the Nayanmars to the spiritual fabric of Tamil culture, and celebrating the extraordinary legacy of Rajendra Chola I and the Chola dynasty.

DMK MP Tiruchy Siva flags delay in RTE fund release to Tamil Nadu in Parliament
DMK MP Tiruchy Siva flags delay in RTE fund release to Tamil Nadu in Parliament

New Indian Express

time3 hours ago

  • New Indian Express

DMK MP Tiruchy Siva flags delay in RTE fund release to Tamil Nadu in Parliament

CHENNAI: DMK Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchy Siva raised the issue of the non-release of RTE funds for Tamil Nadu for the financial years 2019 to 2021 at the Parliament on Wednesday. Siva asked the reason behind the delay in releasing the funds and referred to the recent Madras High Court direction to the Union Education Ministry to consider splitting the funds allocated to Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme by separating the reimbursement of funds to schools under RTE. He requested a clear policy on how RTE reimbursements would be handled for states that refuse to implement the National Education Policy. MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi raised a question regarding the improvement of train connectivity between Thoothukudi and Mumbai. She also asked whether the Union government has considered extending the service of the Lokmanya Tilak-Madurai Express (Train numbers 11043/11044) to Thoothukudi or introducing a new train service. Additionally, she inquired if any timeframe has been fixed for this upgrade in connectivity. DMK treasurer and MP TR Baalu asked the union government about the introduction of new or additional train services to Rameswaram following the opening of the vertical lift sea bridge. Citing technical issues with the new lift bridge, he also asked when the problems would be resolved and the bridge would become functional, enabling ship movement.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store