Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is preparing for a keenly anticipated Assembly election in 2026 that he wants to fight on the strength of an efficient economy and high-profile welfare schemes, including free bus travel for women and monthly payments to women-led households. But the potential high dividend from women voters is threatened by some of his party colleagues, including senior ministers who engage in a brand of coarse, insulting and gender-insensitive humour towards them.

The latest to give Stalin a headache is his confidant and forests minister K. Ponmudy, who made a public joke connecting women sex workers and religious symbols used by Saivite and Vaishnavite Hindu sects. The remarks prompted........

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