MADURAI
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has filed a complaint with the District Election Office here against R. Srinivasan, a Bharatiya Janata Party State secretary, for intentionally spreading false and defamatory information against Su. Venkatesan, CPI(M) candidate for Madurai constituency.
The party has submitted a video clip, which was reportedly shot during a recent meeting of BJP cadre.
In the video, Mr. Srinivasan was heard blaming Mr. Venkatesan for making insulting remarks against women visiting temples.
The same remarks wrongly attributed to Mr. Venkatesan were earlier circulated through WhatsApp and a particular Facebook account, against which the CPI (M) had already lodged a complaint. Statements against the celebration of Chithirai festival, wrongly attributed to the candidate, were also spread through social media.
K. Kanagaraj, State executive committee member of the party, said that though enquiries were made by the police regarding both the complaints, no action had been taken yet. “We have demanded a case against Mr. Srinivasan under appropriate sections of the Indian Penal Code,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Venkatesan released a video on Saturday clarifying that such information being spread in his name was false. “The BJP does not have any achievements to highlight in the election campaign. Hence, they are deliberately spreading false information to mislead the voters,” he said.