Minutes after actor Vishal’s electoral dreams were dashed following the Returning Officer’s decision to reject his nomination papers in the RK Nagar bye-polls, some in the film industry took the opportunity to hit out at him.
Vishal’s nomination papers were rejected by the Returning Officer as the signatures of two of his proposers were allegedly forged. Taking many by surprise, the actor, who is the President of the Tamil Film Producers’ Council and the General Secretary of the Nadigar Sangam, had announced last Saturday that he was taking the electoral plunge.
Among the first to criticise Vishal after his papers were rejected was actor Radikaa Sarathkumar. Calling him out for “all that hot air of working for people and fighting corruption”, she called Vishal a true chameleon.
That too for falsifying signatures, all that hot air of working for people and fighting corruption people now get to see the true chameleon https://t.co/RgkvC7ihVK
— Radikaa Sarathkumar (@realradikaa) December 5, 2017
Start, camera action , before hearing these words some are excelling. To talk of pro people and anti corruption and get rejected for falsifying signatures. Everyone gets to see true colours
— Radikaa Sarathkumar (@realradikaa) December 5, 2017
Incidentally, Radikaa’s husband Sarathkumar, who was earlier President of the Nadigar Sangam, had lost to Vishal’s team in the fiercely-fought actors’ body polls in October 2015.
National Award-winning director and producer Cheran also slammed Vishal for running after publicity. “People know who is running after publicity. His inexperience and his haste have resulted in his downfall,” Cheran told reporters.
Cheran had conducted a sit-in protest inside the Producers’ Council office on Monday demanding that Vishal step down from the post of TFPC President. The director had alleged that Vishal’s decision to enter politics would affect the Producers’ Council’s relationship with the ruling party.
“Vishal's decision of entering politics will affect the Producer Council's relationship with the ruling party. Several pending perks and benefits which the government will be supporting will be affected," Cheran had said on Monday. He also added that Vishal had not done anything for the betterment of the Council, since he won the election in April this year.
Actor and director T Rajendar also lashed out at Vishal, blaming him for being inexperienced and hasty to enter politics. “You need experience to be able to file an affidavit. What has Vishal done for the Producers’ Council? Anybody can enter politics but they should be able to answer questions that are asked to them,” said Rajendar.
He also added, “I have filed affidavits for elections several times but so far none of them have been rejected.”
T Rajendar had contested and won as a DMK candidate from the Park Town constituency in Chennai in the 1996 Assembly Election.
He, however, later quit the DMK to launch his own party - Lakshiya Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam – in 2004. He stood from Kallakurichi constituency in the 2009 Parliamentary Elections but lost to AIADMK’s Kamaraj.