. @thirumaofficial quotes anti women stuff the Manusmriti says. @khushsundar & BJP twitter erupts in outrage, gets case filed against him. Folks, he's only QUOTING the Manusmriti! If you want to get offended, perhaps you should get offended at the Manusmriti?

That said, imho, it is far more necessary to discuss how Manu mandates that women be treated as property to be controlled by men (that's the quote Yogi A chose to amplify in his writing), than to cite shock value bits that imply he "treats women like prostitutes".

Manu continues to have power in the 21st century because across communities & ideologies, even among those who politics is anti Manuvad, the violence against women's autonomy (especially sexual autonomy) is rampant.

We (men especially) need to consider discussing Manusmriti violence against women's autonomy and how it lives on today EVEN in "our own" social, ideological, political communities, rather than repeating the hot takes that don't force us to look within.

I recall defending @khushsundar in 2005 when she was attacked for her remarks on premarital sex being fine as long as it was safe sex, with 22 cases filed against her for "defaming Tamil womanhood and chastity". It's sad she is party to the same against @thirumaofficial now.

But do note that in 2005, the organisation led by @thirumaofficial had joined the PMK in whipping up patriarchal outrage against @khushsundar. @thirumaofficial had condemned Khushboo's reply to a question on premarital sex (she spoke of safe sex) were "against public order".

Here's my write up from 2005, on the attack on @khushsundar, discussing how even progressive politics in TN pays mere lip service to Periyar, and is deeply patriarchal http://www.archive.cpiml.org/liberation/year_2006/January/khusboo_lynching.htm

Here is a report quoting @thirumaofficial as saying the remarks by @khushsundar on safe sex even if it sex before/without marriage, as a threat to "public order". Periyar called that patriarchal public order, bullshit. https://in.rediff.com/movies/2005/oct/06khush.htm

The essence of the Manusmriti isn't that it "treats women like prostitutes". It is that it treats women like mothers, daughters, wives, sisters to be controlled by fathers, husbands, sons - and decrees that women must NOT be treated as autonomous human beings. @thirumaofficial