Sometimes, a joke becomes just too much for some people. And often, it is not even the subjects of the joke, but others — loyalists, followers and fans — whose hackles are raised by the humour.
And, this is not about the AIB roast. ‘Captain’ Vijayakant’s partymen marched down to the Police Commissioner’s office on Thursday to complain that their leader had been made the butt of jokes.
Of late, jokes that once focussed on a particular community are being recycled as online memes, and the humour, this time, targets Vijayakant. Senior members of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, including MLAs, and party workers were incensed about this online assault on their leader.
So far, so good – the loyal fan has a problem with people making fun of ‘Captain’. But involving as it does, a politician, the plot gets a little murky here: the complainants charged that the slur campaign was being orchestrated by members of the ruling party.
A bit of drama then ensued, ensuring that the incident got the right kind of attention. Around 12.30 p.m., a posse of party men reached the main gates of the commissionerate and started an argument with police personnel.
Following this, a dozen senior members were let in and they met the Deputy Commissioner of Central Crime Branch, S. Jeyakumar.
Speaking to mediapersons soon after, DMDK State treasurer A.R. Elangovan said “So-called comic comments on our leader have been circulating on Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. We think this is the work of a few AIADMK functionaries from Mettupalayam who are repeatedly posting such content.” DMDK MLA K. Nallathambi has threatened to stage a protest outside the Commissionerate if the city police failed to initiate action.
