Lok Sabha 2019: AIADMK files complaint with EC over ads run by DMK

The ruling AIADMK on Monday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against newspaper and television advertisements issued by rival DMK for violating the code ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and the bye-elections in the state.

In its complaint, the AIAMDK said the DMK has issued election campaign advertisements to Sun TV and Kalaingnar TV alleging the state government intentionally opened fire at the protestors against Sterlite Copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi last year.

The AIADMK said the DMK has violated Election Commission's order that states no political party should use funeral photos, coffins and dead bodies in their campaign.

The ruling party in Tamil Nadu has urged the Election Commission to direct the TV channels not to air such advertisements and also issue a show cause notice to DMK President MK Stalin and his sister Kanimozhi, who is the party’s Lok Sabha candidate from Thoothukudi constituency.

In May last year, on the 100th day of protests against the Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi over environmental damage, 13 demonstrators were shot dead in police firing. The AIADMK-run government had ordered that the plant be shut down, Vedanta, the parent company of Sterlite, has move court against the closure.

The AIADMK also complained to the poll body about DMK's ads in newspapers not carrying the latter's permission number and also using the picture of Anitha, a girl student who committed suicide two years back over the NEET issue.

In 2017, medical aspirant Anitha killed herself, and in 2018 another aspirant Pradeepa, too, took her own life because they weren’t able to clear NEET despite scoring high marks in board exams. The state has been demanding the scrapping of NEET ever since, saying it is discriminatory towards students from marginalised backgrounds.

NEET features in the manifestos of both AIADMK and the DMK – while the AIADMK has promised exemption from the exam until the state is better equipped to prepare students, the DMK has promised abolition of the medical entrance test.