Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 10 : Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) Secretary Durai Vaiko on Thursday regretted the incident at his party's event in Sathur on Wednesday, where MDMK cadres allegedly assaulted journalists.
Durai Vaiko, the son of MDMK General Secretary Vaiko, stated that his party firmly believes that for democracy to thrive, freedom of the press must be upheld and protected.
"Yesterday evening, a gathering of MDMK cadre from the Nellai Zone was held in Sattur. Over 3,000 people had gathered, filling the hall and leaving thousands seated outside. Vaiko began his speech at 8 PM. About an hour into his speech, there was a power outage. Some attendees from inside the hall got up and stepped outside. After a short while, power was restored and Vaiko resumed his speech," Durai Vaiko said in his statement, explaining the incident.
"At that moment, upon noticing that media personnel were recording the situation, Mr. Vaiko remarked: 'Those who arrived for the event at 4 PM have been seated here for five hours. When the power went out, some briefly stepped outside -- and you're filming that? There are thousands of dedicated party workers listening outside. Why not go and capture that?" the statement added.
Following this, when the journalists continued to film, Vaiko suggested they leave if they wished. At that point, a few party workers reacted angrily. What transpired after that was unfortunate and regrettable, he said in his statement.
Durai Vaiko claimed that in MDMK's 31-year history, party workers have never behaved disrespectfully toward journalists.
Meanwhile, the Chennai Press Club and several journalist unions have strongly condemned the incident.
In a post on X, the Chennai Press Club alleged that Vaiko went further and directed party cadres to seize the journalists' recording equipment. Following this, some MDMK members reportedly attacked the journalists and damaged their equipment. Several journalists were injured during the incident.
"At a meeting of MDMK (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) functionaries held today in Sattur, Virudhunagar district, an alarming and shocking incident took place while journalists had gone to cover the event. As MDMK General Secretary Mr. Vaiko was addressing the gathering, some party cadres began to disperse. When journalists captured this on camera, Mr. Vaiko, from the stage itself, verbally abused the journalists using inappropriate and offensive language," the post by Chennai Press Club read.
"Furthermore, he reportedly ordered the party cadres present to seize the journalists' recording equipment. Acting on his instructions, MDMK cadres attacked the journalists and damaged their equipment. Several journalists were injured in this attack," it added.
Condemning both Vaiko's remarks and the incident, the Chennai Press Club said it was unacceptable for a senior political leader, once considered a prominent voice in democracy, to act in such a manner.
"It is highly condemnable that a senior politician like Mr. Vaiko, once considered a strong voice in democracy, has behaved in such a manner. The Chennai Press Club strongly condemns both Mr. Vaiko's actions and the violence carried out by MDMK cadres," it said.
"The Chennai Press Club urges the police to immediately register a case under the appropriate sections against those who committed the assault and also against Mr. Vaiko for instigating it, and to take strict action," it added.