Viral Video: DMK MP A Raja has a close shave after light crashes on stage during his speech in Tamil Nadu | Watch

Viral Video: DMK MP A Raja escaped unhurt on 4 May when a stage light installed near the dias from where he was speaking collapsed on the microphone right in front of him during an event due to strong wings in Tamil Nadu's Mayiladuthurai.

A video of the incident has since gone viral on social media.

The event was organised by the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) to celebrate Chief Minister MK Stalin's birthday and the party's legal victory in the Governor issue, news reports said.

However, there were moments of panic when the stage light mounted on a steel rod toppled due to strong winds while Raja, a former union minister, was delivering a speech.

In the video, Raja is seen dodging and stepping back just in time as light came crashing down on the dias. Sixty-one-year-old Raja managed to narrowly avoid injury in the incident, which fortunately saw no casualties.

After the pole mounted with lights fell, Raja and the other leaders left the stage. Heavy rain soon followed, ripping banners and blowing chairs around, which led the crowd to leave before the event could finish.

The district secretary and MLA Nivedha Murugan led the meeting, and senior DMK leaders, such as Minister for Backward Classes Welfare Siva Meyyanathan, were also present.

Last month, the Supreme Court criticised Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Tuesday, stating that his decision to reserve 10 bills for the President's consideration violated constitutional provisions.

Who is A Raja?

Raja is the Member of Parliament (MP) from the Nilgiris constituency and the deputy general secretary of the DMK.

During the UPA government, Raja was Minister of State for Rural Development from 1996 to 2000, Minister of State, Health and Family Welfare from September 2000 to May 2004, and cabinet minister for Environment and Forests from May 2004 to May 2007. He became the cabinet minister for Communication and Information Technology in May 2007.

Raja was a co-accused in the 2G Spectrum case along with two other members of the DMK, Dayanidhi Maran and Kanimozhi. All three were acquitted in 2017. Raja was re-elected as Nilgiris MP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and elected Deputy General Secretary of the DMK in September 2020.