Chennai, Jan 4 (IANS): BJP leader and actor-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar has criticised the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government, calling it as "dictatorial rather than democratic".
Speaking to reporters at the Chennai airport on Friday, she alleged that the Tamil Nadu government had displayed bias in granting permissions for political events.
Khushbu accused the DMK government of granting permission for a rally organised by MDMK leader Vaiko but denied it for a BJP protest march.
She said, "I will raise my voice whenever women are affected. I won't wait for a miracle like Ghajini to happen before I take action. Having been a part of the DMK, I know how they function. I will not remain silent; I will speak out."
The actor-turned-politician emphasised the importance of women's safety over monetary benefits, stating, "Money is not the most important thing for women -- safety is. The ruling party, DMK, is responsible for protecting women's dignity, modesty, and safety. Women cannot be silenced with money."
Calling on the government to prioritise women's safety, Khushbu urged women not to remain silent and criticised the DMK's governance, claiming that its schemes were ineffective.
She questioned the government's tendency to compare Tamil Nadu with other states, asserting that the southern state is an integral and significant part of India.
Khushbu also criticised the politicisation of sexual assault cases, pointing out the lack of response from DMK leaders to similar incidents in other states.
She asked, "Why are you politicising sexual assault cases against women? When a similar incident happened in Chhattisgarh, did Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin or Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin raise their voice? Did Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi come to Tamil Nadu to protest when a similar incident happened here? No, they didn't do anything."
She stressed that violence against women should not be politicised and urged those in power to focus on providing safety rather than drawing comparisons with other states.
Speaking as a native of Tamil Nadu, Khushbu reiterated her commitment to addressing the state's issues, saying, "It's not about BJP, DMK, or AIADMK -- it's about ensuring safety for women."
She also accused the DMK government of being overly reactive to the BJP's actions, stating, "The DMK government is doing politics by constantly watching what the BJP is doing. Stalin said we are playing politics, but what else can we do? When you get hurt, it's blood; but when we get hurt, it's just tomato sauce?"
The BJP leader concluded by asserting that she would continue to speak out about Tamil Nadu's governance and women's safety issues.