The Tamil Nadu police, on Sunday, March 5, booked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Annamalai for allegedly inciting violence and promoting enmity between two groups after rumours were spread about attacks on migrant workers from North India in the state. The case against the BJP chief pertains to a press note by him, in which he had blamed the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for the alleged violence against migrant workers.
In his press note dated March 4, Annamalai stated that Tamil Nadu and its people are accepting of migrant workers and acknowledge their contributions to the state. “This hate propaganda started from the anti-Hindi stance taken by DMK. The current situation is an outcome of the DMK culture which insults the job done by them and makes fun of North Indians in the name of opposing Hindi,” he said, accusing DMK MP Dhayanidhi Maran, Ministers K Ponmudy and P Moorthy, and VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan of making hate speeches against migrant workers.
Annamalai also alleged that Chief Minister MK Stalin did not respond to these instances and said that DMK’s anti-Hindi stance was the reason why people started believing in the fake news. He also said that it was the DMK’s responsibility to take action against such comments and remove the anxiety that exists right now. The BJP leader also said on social media, “The divide that DMK always stood for is coming back to bite them, and it is now their responsibility to fix this situation and is an opportunity for them to put an end to their defunct propaganda.”
It is disheartening to see fake news spread in social media about attacks on Migrant workers in Tamil Nadu.
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) March 4, 2023
We, the Tamil people, believe in the concept of “The World is One” and do not endorse the separatism & vile hatred against our North Indian friends. (1/5)
Annamalai has been booked under Sections 153, 153(1)(a) (giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 505 (1)(b), and 505(1)(c) (printing or engraving defamatory matter) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) by Chennai Crime Branch police. This was after he stated that the ruling DMK and its allies were responsible for the situation in the state. Meanwhile, Annamalai dared the Tamil Nadu Police to touch him within the next 24 hours. The BJP leader stated, “You think that you can strangulate a democratic voice by filing false cases. As a commoner, I challenge you to lay hands on me if possible, within 24 hours”.
பொய் வழக்குகளை போட்டு ஜனநாயக குரல்வளையை நசுக்கி விடலாம் என்று எண்ணுகிறீர்கள்.
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) March 5, 2023
ஒரு சாமானிய மனிதனாக சொல்கிறேன், 24 மணி நேரம் கால அவகாசம் உங்களுக்கு அளிக்கிறேன், முடிந்தால் என் மீது கை வையுங்கள்!
The Tamil Nadu Police also registered an FIR against the editor of Dainik Bhaskar, a Hindi newspaper, Twitter user Mohammed Tanveer whose profile says he is a journalist; BJP spokesman from Bihar Prasant Umrao, and two social media influencers, Shubham Shukhla and Yuvaraj Singh Rajput under various sections of the IPC.
(With IANS inputs)