Now Reading: Tamil Nadu minister Keerthana resigns after video sparks misogyny row
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Tamil Nadu minister Keerthana resigns after video sparks misogyny row
Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Keerthana stepped down on Wednesday after a video of her in a short dress was circulated online by alleged DMK supporters, triggering accusations of misogyny. Chief Minister M…
Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Keerthana stepped down on Wednesday after a video of her in a short dress was circulated online by alleged DMK supporters, triggering accusations of misogyny. Chief Minister M K Stalin accepted her resignation and appointed senior DMK leader R Jayakumar as her replacement, effective immediately.
The row erupted when social media users shared a clip of Keerthana at an event, questioning whether dress length should matter for a minister. Keerthana said the attacks were meant to humiliate her and that she quit to avoid distracting the government. The opposition AIADMK and BJP have demanded a formal probe into the video's origin.
Jayakumar, a former fisheries minister, will handle the Industries portfolio until the next cabinet expansion. No date has been set for that.
Indian Opinion Analysis
This is the first time a minister from Chief Minister Stalin's cabinet has resigned mid-term. The precedent is crucial: in 2019, a DMK legislator forfeited his seat after a corruption conviction, but no senior minister stepped down voluntarily without a legal compulsion. Keerthana's removal gives Jayakumar de facto control of a portfolio worth over Rs 1,200 crore in annual industrial subsidies. With Tamil Nadu's GDP growth slipping to 7.5% last quarter, how the new minister handles a proposed Rs 5,000 crore electronics hub will be the real test, not the dress code debate. The assembly's next question hour is on July 10, when the opposition has already filed a notice to demand a full policy statement on industrial investment.
Source: ndtv.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
