Former Union Minister and DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran on Thursday accused PMK leaders of disrupting communal harmony and instigating violence in Tamil Nadu.
“Such a mischievous campaign by the PMK leadership and violence by a few vested interests could not undermine the 20% reservation given to the MBCs and the benefits in education and employment they achieved,” he said in a statement.
Responding to the legal notice sent by the PMK, Mr. Maran said the defamation suit was a last desperate attempt for publicity and to try and intimidate him by the PMK since its campaign against him on social media failed. PMK cadre had taken objection to certain statements Mr. Maran had made on their party while meeting reporters in Salem.
“For this, they could have issued a simple denial, but instead the party leadership organised small violent mobs and attempted to disrupt communal harmony by instigating violence against our campaign rallies in Omalur, Salem,” he said.
Mr. Maran alleged that the mob not only damaged the vehicles in the DMK’s convoy, but also public vehicles.
He charged that the PMK leadership also organised a fake news campaign on social media, which too met with abysmal failure.
“Pictures of a car accident in Vietnam were circulated on social media, claiming it to be my vehicle, and that it was perpetrated by PMK cadre as a show of support,” he said.
He said it was sad that the AIADMK government led by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami was encouraging the violent behaviour of the PMK leadership by remaining a mute spectator to this entire incident, which had played out just around his own constituency and home town.
“As an alliance partner and as the government in charge of law and order for now, the least they can do is admonish their alliance partner,” he said in a statement.
