Allegations of online harassment surfaced against DMK functionary R Rajiv Gandhi on Saturday, March 14, a day after he was removed from the post of secretary of the party’s students wing and appointed as joint secretary of the propaganda wing.
Rajiv allegedly sent lewd messages to a young woman through a social media platform despite the woman repeatedly stating that she considered him a brother. Screenshots of the purported chats were widely circulated on the social media platforms.
Sources within the DMK confirmed that oral complaints had been raised about the issue.
Denying the allegations, Rajiv said the screenshots circulating on social media were fabricated. In a post on X, he said the screenshots were generated using artificial intelligence to target him.
Rajiv Gandhi had reportedly been aspiring to contest from the Coimbatore (South) Assembly constituency in the upcoming elections and had already begun preliminary political work in the region, which is considered a stronghold of the AIADMK–BJP alliance.
The recent reshuffle in his party position has triggered speculation in political circles about whether the DMK leadership intends to field him from the constituency in the forthcoming Assembly election.
A native of Ramanathapuram district, Rajiv had earlier been associated with Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) before joining the DMK in 2021 after the party came to power in Tamil Nadu.
After joining the DMK, he was appointed as deputy secretary of the party’s media relations wing and later became president of the students wing in 2022. He was elevated as the secretary of the students wing in March 2025 before the latest organisational reshuffle.