BJP Tamil Nadu has dismissed YouTuber Madan Ravichandran and his associate Venba Geethaiyan from primary membership of the party for “crossing party lines”. Madan, a journalist who is also a BJP member, released a sting video of KT Raghavan, BJP Tamil Nadu General Secretary, where he is seen having a sexually explicit chat with a woman.
A press statement said, “Madan and Venba have been removed from their party posts for releasing videos that go against the ideals of the party. Therefore we ask administrators and party cadres not to have any interaction with them in matters related to the party”. The statement also said that Madan Ravichandran and Venba have met TN BJP President K Annamalai and said that they will work with the investigative committee set up by the party to be led by party state secretary Malarkodi. Madan’s expulsion from the party comes a day after KT Raghavan resigned from his post following the controversy.
In his sting video, Madan had claimed that they had conducted investigations on around 15 BJP leaders and were releasing KT Raghavan’s video first. He also claimed that they had shown the video evidence to party chief K Annamalai who said that it would take at least 6 months for any action to be initiated. Madan said that Annamalai later texted him saying he can release the video if he was interested in justice for the woman in the video.
Reacting to the controversy, party chief K Annamalai confirmed that Madan had met him and informed him about the video evidence against Raghavan. However, as Madan refused to hand over the video clip, Annamalai says that he could not initiate formal action, despite the former pressing him to do so. Annamalai also questioned Madan’s ‘intent’ behind threatening to release video evidence of more BJP leaders on the Internet.
“Since Mr. Madan Ravichandran claims in his video that video records of more such people will be released in the social media, this makes me question the intention behind his activities and this act of his is purely unacceptable,” Annamalai had said in his statement on August 24, Tuesday.