‘Will cut those who ask questions’: PMK chief threatens journalists at event on ‘Hate Politics’

“I told him that I have answered this question a hundred times. You are asking about it repeatedly with a motive, which is to establish that Ramadoss is a tree-cutter. You want to ensure that even people who don’t know about this, get to know it now,” the 79-year-old leader said at an event on “Hate politics” in Chennai on Saturday.

“So I told him – in future if there is any such protest, we will not cut trees. Instead, we will cut people like you who ask questions,” Ramadoss said.

The PMK leader did not stop there and called journalists dogs and kammanati pasanga (a pejorative used for the son of a widowed woman).

“Hey dogs, come and see where all I have planted trees. For one year I have been offering Rs. 1 lakh prize. But not one person has come to see. I’ve raised a forest in our charitable trust,” he said.

Ramadoss’ remarks invited sharp criticism from the Chennai Press Club, besides other forums of journalists. “The rightful owners of democracy, the people, are watching such speeches,” a statement said.

The Centre of Media Persons for Change, on the other hand, express their strong opposition to Ramadoss’s comments and demanded his immediate arrest, The News Minute reported.

The PMK was known for cutting trees as a mark of protest in the 1980s. The party had cut down more than 100 trees when several of its leaders were jailed a few years ago under the tenure of former later chief minister J Jayalalithaa.