DMK suspends actor Radha Ravi for making misogynistic remarks against actress Nayanthara
Chennai: The DMK Monday announced it was suspending well-known actor and senior party leader Radharavi for his alleged misogynistic remarks against popular South Indian actress Nayantara.
His remarks at an event had created a furore, with actor Taapsee Pannu and director Vignesh Shivan hitting out at him. A video purportedly showing Radharavi making the remarks had gone viral.
DMK president MK Stalin said the party was a movement that protected women's rights and that the actor's comments were not acceptable to it.
In a tweet, he uploaded party general secretary K Anbazhagan's statement that Radharavi was being "suspended" for bringing disrepute to the DMK.
The statement was carried in DMK mouthpiece 'Murasoli.'
"Radharavi is being suspended from all party posts, including the primary membership, for violating the party discipline and bringing disrepute to it," Anbazhagan said.
Stalin said such indiscipline from partymen will not be tolerated.
"The remarks by Radharavi, who belongs to the DMK which protects women's rights, about women artistes is not acceptable. It is strongly condemnable," he said.
"Partymen should express opinions in a dignified manner and action will be taken against those violating it," he warned.
Shivan, said to be a close friend of Nayantara, had raised the issue on Twitter, tagging Stalin and DMK MP Kanimozhi and sought action against the "crass and sexist" Radharavi.
He said both Stalin and Kanimozhi had "vociferously" spoken against the Pollachi sexual harassment case and asked "why dont you take stringent action against" the actor too.
Pannu also hit out at the senior actor, saying his remarks were "disgusting".
"This is disgusting beyond words. Who asked him about casting pre-requisites and is he the president of character certificate association? This comes for one of the strongest actresses of the industry (Nayantara), I can only wonder what he might have to say about others," she tweeted.
Nayantara, who has acted with top South Indian stars including Rajinikanth, Vijay and Ajith Kumar, is also known for featuring in women-centred themes like 'Aram' and 'Kolamavu Kokila.'
She had also starred with Telugu star Balakrishna as Seetha in 'Sri Ramarajyam,' a reel depiction of The Ramayana.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
