Tamil Nadu assembly elections 2021: AIADMK asks poll body to not allow DMK's Raja to campaign

Chennai, Mar 27: The ruling AIADMK on Saturday petitioned the Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu to not allow DMK leader A Raja to campaign for Assembly polls and direct police to file a case against him for his alleged offensive comments against Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

In his campaign at Thousand Lights constituency, Raja, Lok Sabha MP of DMK made "vulgar, third rate comments," against Palaniswami on March 26, state joint secretary of AIADMK's advocate wing, C Thirumaran said in his plea addressed to CEO Satyabrata Sahoo. Being an offence under the Indian Penal Code besides an 'election offence' as well, the AIADMK urged the top official to direct registration of a case against Raja.

Also he must not be allowed to campaign for the April 6 Assembly polls considering his continuous 'vulgar' and 'hate' speech, the petition said. A police complaint has already been lodged for a previous vulgar comment against Palaniswami and a case has been registered, it said.

The ruling party attached a copy of a news report that appeared in a daily on the comment and a video clip of Raja's purported vulgar comments -which has gone viral in the social media- in its petition to the CEO. DMK president MK Stalin, in a statement, without mentioning anyone's name, said during campaign, partymen must make dignified comments.

Rivals distorted and edited speeches to give it an offensive connotation due to "fear of defeat" and to ensure that such designs did not succeed, party workers must be mindful of words they choose during electioneering, the DMK top leader urged.