DMK slaps RS 500 crore legal notice on Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai, demands apology

CHENNAI: The DMK has hit back at BJP state president K Annamalai with a legal notice demanding an apology and a compensation of Rs 500 crore for "defaming" chief minister M K Stalin, his family members and party leaders.
DMK organising secretary R S Bharathi issued the legal notice on Sunday, two days after Annamalai levelled a series of corruption allegations against Stalin, his son Udhayanidhi, son-in-law Sabareesan and a few DMK leaders.
Bharathi said the allegations levelled by Annamalai in the name of `DMK files’ were `false, baseless, defamatory, imaginary and scandalous.’ He demanded Annamalai to tender an unconditional apology for levelling the allegations.
Noting that Annamalai has levelled `concocted, mischievous and motivated,’ charges of graft against Stalin without any evidence, Bharathi said the DMK president had not received “a single paise as illegal gratification from any person throughout his 56 years of public life”. The notice denied that any amount was paid to Stalin for awarding a contract for execution of phase I of the metro rail project in Chennai to a particular company.
The legal notice said charges against state sports minister Udhayanidhi were baseless. "Our client (Udhayanidhi) was not a director of any company called Nobel Steel as alleged by you," said Bharathi.
In the 10-page notice, which contained a point by point rebuttal to the allegations levelled by Annamalai, Bharathi said the state BJP president was constantly attempting to defame the DMK president and other leaders as BJP was unable to make a mark electorally in Tamil Nadu.
Bharathi demanded that Annamalai should tender an unconditional public apology for his allegations, remove video of the press conference found on BJP's social media pages and in www.enmannenmakkal.com and pay damages to the tune of Rs. 500crore to Stalin within 48 hours after receipt of the notice.
"The damages are valued at Rs 200 crore for the reputation of the party president (Stalin) and Rs 300 crore for damages to the party," it said. The money would be transferred to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s relief fund, the notice said.
Annamalai has been asked to respond within 48 hours of receipt of the legal notice, failing which Bharathi has warned of legal action.