BJP decries protests against Khushboo's remarks

    Chennai: While DMK President M Karunanidhi has refused to get into the controversy over Khushboo's remarks on pre-marital sex, the BJP today came to the rescue of the Tamil filmstar, saying that views should be countered only through views, and not protests. BJP vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu said that though the party didn't agree with Khushboo's remarks on sex before marriage, it believed that such demonstrations should not be encouraged in a democratic country like India. "We do not agree and subscribe to Khushboo's views. But throwing chappals at her are not part of our culture. It should not be encouraged as it will set a new trend. In a democracy, there is a place for views and counter-views. Views should be countered through views alone and not through protests," BJP Naidu told reporters here. Among others to come to the rescue of Khushboo are Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, the CPI-M and the CPI. All of them had defended Khushboo's democratic right to express her views, and had asked the protestors to resort to healthy and democratic means of protest.

     Last week, a court in Tamil Nadu's Mettur District had granted conditional bail to Khushboo after she had surrendered before a Judicial Magistrate. The Judicial Magistrate-II, S Sridharan, had directed her to deposit Rs.5000 as surety and also not to give interviews to the media in connection with the case. The PMK and Dalit Panthers of India volunteers held demonstrations outside the court complex against the actress demanding her arrest. As she was leaving in a car, some volunteers even threw chappals and tried to move towards the vehicle, but were prevented by the police.