Chennai Press Club condemns BJP leader H Raja for calling media 'presstitutes'

The Chennai Press Club on Tuesday condemned BJP leader H Raja over his derogatory remarks against media personnel.

Addressing the media on Monday after watching the preview of a movie Rudra Thandavam, Raja, who is the former national secretary of the BJP, called the media "presstitutes".

"Who said Tamil is different from Hinduism?" he said. "Could Tamil have existed without Hindus? To all the media people – presstitutes – let me ask: who is Seeman?" In response, members of the audience clapped and smiled.

In response, the Chennai Press Club issued a statement condemning Raja's words. "There has been an increasing number of attacks on the media recently," the statement said.

Bharathi Thamizhan, the joint secretary of the Chennai Press Club, told Newslaundry, "As a leader in the public space, H Raja has the responsibility to use decent language. He could have reserved his comments if he was unwilling to answer. Not just H Raja, the press club condemns such attitude by anyone."

Thamizhan continued, "It is unacceptable that the BJP has not taken action against H Raja. His language is unacceptable and uncivilized. By not condemning his action, BJP is standing by H Raja. Citizens who believe in democracy should condemn H Raja's speech."