Singer Chinmayi takes on TVK and DMK for presenting sexual abuser Vedan on stage
Singer Chinmayi Sripada criticized her party TVK, MLA Rajmohan and DMK for giving platform to rapper Vedan despite past sexual allegations against Vijay. She said women who speak out against influential men are often left without support while such figures continue to emerge.
Singer Chinmayi Sripada on Thursday criticized Chief Minister Vijay-led Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) and MLA Rajmohan for treating rapper Vedan respectfully in their recent meeting. Many women have already accused Vedan of sexual harassment. In a post, he said he hoped they would not repeat the practice of giving a platform to men accused of serious sexual harassment and assault.
❮❯
Chinmayi also said that she first came to know about Vedan being a MeToo accused during the COVID-19 period, when she attended a Malayalam Clubhouse session and was asked how she could work with him. He said that a planned collaboration between Govind Vasanth, Muhsin Parari, Vedan and him was later dropped, and he said he had refused to attend concerts featuring Vedan despite the impact on his work and opportunities.
Calling for the recent meeting, Chinmayi wrote, “I hope that TVK and Rajmohan will not do exactly what the previous government did in the case of presenting men accused of serious sexual harassment/assault allegations.”
Recalling the episode, she wrote, “During Covid, a song was announced as a collaboration between Govind Vasanth, Muhsin Parari, Vedan and me. I had participated in a Malayalam-based Clubhouse program in which a lady had asked me how I could work with Vedan. At that time, the reports were mainly in Malayalam and I had no idea about it. Later he gave a statement apologizing and said that he was wrong. Project Was removed. The name Vedan has since been retained by others (sic).”
She also said that she stayed away from Vedan’s programs because of his past. Chinmayi wrote, “I regularly turned down concerts he attended, to the great detriment of my work and opportunities – it is not acceptable for men to pretend to be social activism in order to violate women’s consent.”
Vedan is known for using his songs as a form of social activism, with lyrics addressing caste-based prejudice, systemic discrimination and social inequality. The comments come at a time when Vedan is in fresh trouble over possession of leopard teeth.
Chinmayi further wrote that when women speak out against men seen as public heroes they often receive no support. “The problem remains: women in the same social groups get no support when they want to name men like Vedan and stand all alone because the man is a ‘hero’, a ‘leader’ and women have to endure his crimes for the ‘greater good’. Some of these men who have portrayed themselves as voices for those whose voices have been taken away, still remain aggressive in that they claim to be fighting. Enough is enough,” she said. Said.
He later shared a video posted by the X account DMK Youth Wing featuring opposition leader Udhayanidhi Stalin with Vedan. Posting the clip, Chinmayi wrote, “I’ve basically given up on telling them not to give platforms to molesters. Honestly.”
Since 2018, Chinmayi has been calling out the DMK and several other film personalities on the platform of veteran lyricist Vairamuthu, who was accused of sexual misconduct by around 18 women, including her.