Kerala Congress (Jacob) chairman Johnny Nellore has served a lawyer's notice on Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders V.S. Achuthanandan and Kadakampally Surendran seeking Rs.5 crore in damages for making ‘unfounded allegations' against the United Democratic Front (UDF).
At a news conference here on Monday, Mr. Nellore said he had sent the lawyer's notice on behalf of the UDF as the false allegation had immensely hurt the reputation of the UDF and of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in particular.
He said that Mr. Achuthanandan and Mr. Surendran, who is the secretary of the CPI(M)'s Thiruvananthapuram district committee, had alleged that certain contractors loyal to the UDF had paid money to R. Selvaraj, who had recently resigned as MLA, in the presence of Government Chief Whip P.C. George at the residence of Mr. Chandy.
He said the statement that Mr. Chandy had paid money to Mr. Selvaraj was a false one “made solely with the object of tarnishing the image of the UDF among the public of Kerala, particularly at a time when it is fighting the Piravom byelection.”
Mr. Nellore wanted Mr. Achuthanandan and Mr. Surendran to immediately make a public apology to the Chief Minister and the UDF or pay Rs.50 crore in damages.
Remark against Sindhu
Mr. Nellore wanted the CPI(M) to expel Mr. Achuthanandan from the party for making insulting remarks against women. Referring to a remark Mr. Achuthanandan had made against Sindhu Joy, former State president of the Students Federation of India (SFI) who later quit the CPI(M), Mr. Johnny said it was unbecoming of his age and his position. (Mr. Achuthanandan had later retracted his statement made in Kochi on Sunday).
Mr. Nellore alleged that Mr. Achuthanandan was in the habit of making disparaging remarks against women. He had made such a remark against his rival candidate Lathika Subhash in last year's Assembly election. It was a shame that a man of about 90 years should make such indecent remark against a woman who was hardly the age of his granddaughter, Mr. Nellore said. He was sure that the women voters in Piravom would express their anger against the disgracing remarks against Sindhu Joy by voting for the UDF candidate.
Claiming that the Left Democratic Front was making false allegation against the UDF candidate Anoop Jacob that he had been absconding from law after being charge-sheeted by the police in a criminal case, Mr. Nellore said the UDF would complain against this to the Election Commission.
