Tamil Nadu BJP leader S.Ve. Shekher raked up a new controversy as he made a remark on state Governor Banwarilal Purohit patting the cheek of a senior female journalist earlier this week. He said Purohit should “wash his hands with phenyl” for touching her. Shekher, reportedly, made the comments in a Facebook post, which has now been deleted.
The Governor’s action had invoked widespread anger from journalists all over the state. Purohit had issued an apology to the journalist on Wednesday, saying he patted her cheek to appreciate her performance as a journalist.
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According to media reports, Shekher, in his Facebook post, wrote that journalist’s aim was to “defame the governor and Prime Minister Narendra Modi” adding that “recent complaints show they (journalists) can’t become reporters or anchors without sleeping with big shots…Uneducated stupid ugly beings… largely in Tamil Nadu media. This woman is no exception.”
Also Read: After patting woman journalist’s cheek, TN governor apologises
Media reports indicate that Chennai journalists will protest at the state headquarters of the BJP against Shekher for his disrespectful remarks.
Earlier this week, journalist Lakshmi Subramaniam had said she posed a question to the Governor during a press conference in Chennai and instead of answering her question he patted her on cheek.
Talking about the incident she had tweeted: “Washed my face several times. Still not able to get rid of it. So agitated and angered Mr Governor Banwarilal Purohit.”
As the incident garnered anger rapidly, the Governor apologised to the journalist and said, “I considered (your) question to be a good one. Therefore, as an act of appreciation for the question that you had posed, I gave a pat on your cheek considering you to be like my granddaughter.”