Actor Radikaa Sarathkumar has expressed solidarity with actor-turned-politician and her “good friend,” Andhra Pradesh Minister RK Roja, days after Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy made disparaging and sexist remarks against her. In a video posted on Instagram, Radikaa said that she stands by Roja and demanded that the Minister apologise for his comments.
A few days ago, former Andhra Pradesh Minister Bandaru had triggered a row when he claimed that he was in possession of her pornographic videos, and threatened to leak them if she didn’t stop speaking about jailed former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his family members in a derogatory way. He made several other crass, sexist remarks on the Minister, referring to her as a “woman of the street”, and blaming CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for “failing to control her.” He was later booked and arrested for his comments.
Reacting to Bandaru’s comments, Radikaa addressed Roja in her post on Friday, October 5 and said: “I stand by you today as a friend, as a co-star, as a person who knows you for being bold, courageous, and a person of integrity. It has pained me in the last few days, the happenings and the amount of low quality politics being played out.
Read: In Andhra, row over TDP leader’s sexist remarks on Minister Roja intensifies
“It is very hurtful and it makes me angry. In Parliament today, we have passed 33% for women…and we have to listen to this, this discouraging way of handling politics? Of handling a woman? Of talking such cheap attention-seeking comments coming from a respected person. from a respected party. It is very shameful. Today we refer to India as Bharat Mata, as a woman…and is this the respect you show to a woman? Shame on you, shame on this sort of politics. It’s a coward who speaks like this,” Radikaa said.
“If you want to say something to a woman, the last resort is calling her a prostitute? That she acted in a ‘blue film’? If you think you can intimidate women with such words, you are wrong. Nobody will get scared.
Shame on your cowardice. Shame on the disgrace you are bringing to the party that has held a lot of great people who come from great backgrounds. Don't do this. Be a man. Stand up to your mistake….and apologise. Otherwise live a life of a coward. I stand by Roja. I want the PM to take note of this, and bring respect to the Parliament, to the Assembly, and condemn this sort of unparliamentary behaviour,” Radikaa said.