Nanjil Sampath’s anti-Kiran tirade crosses campaign Rubicon

Puducherry: Former Delhi Chief Ministerial candidate and current Puducherry Lt Governor, Ms Kiran Bedi for a change was at the receiving end of abusive rhetoric here, as veteran political orator, Nanjil Sampath took nasty potshots, bordering on misogyny, at her as he campaigned for DMK-led secular progressive alliance for the April 18 Lok Sabha polls.

With a roly-poly political background having moved in and out of all the three major Dravidian parties and with a penchant for literary twists with his flair for the Tamil language as a deep southerner from Kanniyakumar district, Nanjil, campaigning for the Congress candidate from the UT, V Vaithilingam, burst forth with distasteful remarks against Ms. Bedi, whose open clashes with Narayanasamy regime is by now legend.

Slamming the Lt Governor for being a 'BJP Governor', Nanjil, in a possible Freudian slip, first mistakenly referred to Kiran Bedi as 'Nirav Modi', the economic fugitive. He was quickly corrected by the DMK party-man behind him, and thankfully the candidate Vaithilingam was not accompanying this popular campaigner on Wednesday.  

"There are BJP governors in 21 states in India. Here one woman, Nirav Modi, we don't know if it is a man or a woman. (the man from behind corrects Sampath). Kiran Bedi. What is she up to here? I am asking, are you a constitutional authority? Were you chosen by the people? After being rejected in Delhi, should you be sent to Pondicherry?" he reportedly asked.

Referring to her alleged obstruction of Puducherry Chief Minister Narayanasamy's welfare schemes from being implemented, Nanjil Sampath fumed, "Is this the job of a Governor? A Purohit for Tamil Nadu, a Kiran Bedi for Pondicherry. Extra-Constitutional authority in 21 states; is this called democracy?"

Nanjil Sampath's controversial remarks came just days after the DMK suspended Radha Ravi for his sexist comments against actor Nayantara.

Many on social media are now asking if Nanjil Sampath would be asked to stop campaigning for the DMK-Congress alliance in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Known to have courted controversies as a public speaker on several occasions in the past, with his devastatingly witty remarks, bordering at times on the defamatory, Nanjil Sampath has seen the best and worst of days. He was first in the DMK, then walked out with Vaiko who formed the MDMK in 1993 and had a long innings as a deputy general secretary and propaganda secretary of the party.

Nanjil Sampath then joined the AIADMK, and after some insensitive remarks about the great Chennai deluge during December 2015, he was shown the door by former Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa in 2016. Again after a couple of party switch-overs, including his support for AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, he recently returned to the DMK fold under M K Stalin's leadership.