‘Women Are Not Pawns In The Game of Politics’: Khushbu Sundar Blasts TN BJP Chief for 'Crude' Remark Against CM Vijay's Mother

Chennai: BJP national vice-president and Tamil Nadu leader Khushbu Sundar on Saturday strongly condemned state BJP president Nainar Nagendran’s personal and crude remark targeting the mother of Chief Minister Vijay, calling it unacceptable and an insult to women.

The controversy erupted after Nagendran, while attacking the TVK government in a public speech, referred to queries raised in the Legislative Assembly about “father.” He said: “They (TVK) go to the Legislative Assembly itself and search, asking, ‘Where is father? Where is father?’ Only if they go home and ask their mother will she tell them who the father is. But if they go to the Legislative Assembly and ask who their father is, who would know? It is the rule of such people that is going on in Tamil Nadu today...”

The comment, widely interpreted as a personal jibe involving the Chief Minister’s family, drew sharp criticism across party lines.

Taking to X, Khushbu Sundar said the remarks were “disgusting” and “unacceptable on any platform.”

She wrote: "The crude remark made by BJP State President Thiru Nainar Nagendran avl about CM of Tamil Nadu’s mother is disgusting. Such comments are unacceptable on any platform. My leader Honourable PM Shri Narendra Modi ji has always spoken about Nari Shakti and held women in high esteem. Such remarks hits below the belt."

“I, who has always voiced my opinion and has never accepted an insult or questioning the dignity and integrity of a woman, am aghast and disappointed today after hearing this. Question the party, raise your voice for the people, attack the government if they fail to deliver, but never ever use a woman to make your point. WOMEN ARE NOT PAWNS IN THE GAME OF POLITICS. Every party, every party men/members, every man should think before insulting a woman. Remember, you are in this world because of a woman and a mother. This insult to a mother is painful and hurting,” she added in the post.

The condemnation from within the BJP ranks was significant. Former state BJP president K. Annamalai also termed the remarks “utterly unacceptable”. He accused the Tamil Nadu BJP president of crossing “the boundaries of political decency”.

In a post on X, K. Annamalai said, “It is highly condemnable that speeches that vulgarize the political arena of Tamil Nadu continue unabated. Following Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin of the DMK, it is extremely regrettable that Mr. Nainar Nagendran, the Tamil Nadu BJP state president, has now crossed the boundaries of political decency by making remarks about the mother of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Mr. Vijay. Those in politics must be responsible for their words and actions. Differences of opinion may exist. Policies can be critiqued. The functioning of the government can be questioned. However, speaking in a manner that insults someone's family members, especially their mother, is utterly unacceptable in any way.”

"Such low-quality remarks represent a politics that became obsolete thirty or forty years ago. The young people of today's Tamil Nadu and our growing children must not be taught this kind of third-rate politics," he added.

Tamil Nadu Congress president Manickam Tagore separately demanded an unconditional public apology from Nagendran for his “despicable speech”.

The episode has triggered a broader political debate in the state over the boundaries of political discourse and the use of personal attacks involving family members, particularly women.

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