Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar kept aside the mike of a TV channel and asked the journalist working for the channel to leave his press meet on Covid-19 vaccination that was held at Pudukottai. The minister’s ire was directed at a reporter who works with Sun News channel.

In a video of the incident, the minister can be seen keeping the microphone aside. He then says, “Remove Sun TV mike. I won’t give interviews to them. Take it away,” he says.

According to the reporter named Sheikh who was asked to leave the press meet, the minister was upset at his report earlier in which he alleged that the minister had been distributing Pongal gifts in his constituency.

“The Minister had given a Pongal gift to people in his Viralimalai constituency. It was given to 85,000 ration card holders. These were given as elections are nearing, my report said. Only his photograph was on those gifts and it did not have pictures of other former leaders or current leaders. Today he had called for a press meet at Viralimalai. His office had called me and invited me for the same. I reached there late at 10.45 am, and then another person from his office checked me if I was coming. When I reached there, the minister told me that he wanted to have a discussion with me first. He asked whether we will publish news if DMK leaders distribute gifts,” he told TNM.

Later, at the press meet, he removed the mic.

Sun TV is owned by Kalanithi Maran, who is MK Stalin’s cousin. The channel was in a controversy recently however for showing election advertisements of the AIADMK.