Chennai: The DMK on Saturday suspended the party leader Shivaji Krishnamoorthy over his controversial remarks against the Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi. Krishnamoorthy, the party said, was suspended for "party unlawful activities". This came after Krishnamoorthy sparked a controversy on Friday, with his remark against Governor Ravi.
The action against him comes amid the ongoing Governor-Government tussle in the souther state. Earlier in the day, Governor Ravi's Deputy Secretary lodged a complaint against Krishnamurthy for his derogatory speech, however, police, expressing inability to act on the complaint, sent it to the state government for further action.
Responding to the complaint by Raj Bhavan, the Chennai City Police has said since the matter fell within the ambit of defamation – Sections 409 and 500 of IPC, it could not take any action. It was for the state government to approach the Sessions Court for remedy and the police would act per the orders of the court. Hence, it has been forwarded to the Home Department for further and necessary action.
“...the complaint, video attached along with the complaint speech of Shivaji Krishnamurthy in the video, video of the full speech of Shivaji Krishnamurthy and verbatim of the above videos were legally scrutinised and found to be defamatory of in nature, which falls under the ambit of section 409 and 500 of IPC,” read the reply to the Deputy Secretary to Governor, the complainant.
Further, the City Police said the complaint and the video have been forwarded to the Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department. And now, it is for the government to proceed further. In the complaint to the Commissioner of Police, Deputy Secretary to Governor, Prasanna Ramasamy attached the video of Shivaji Krishnamurthy's speech and said it was most abusive, defamatory and derogatory language and intimidation against the Governor.
“The intimidatory speech of the speaker attracts Section 124 of the IPC,” she maintained and sought appropriate action. Despite a gag order by Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin, at an event Friday night in the city Krishnamurthy had threatened the Governor at the public meeting held in honour of late DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan.
The DMK leader in his speech said that he will send him to Kashmir where he will send terrorists to gun him down. “Our Chief Minister has said we should not target the governor. If only he had read the governor's address in toto, I would have put flowers on his feet with folded hands in gratitude. When he refuses to utter the name of Ambedkar, architect of the Constitution, don't I have the right to slap him with my slippers? If you don't, then go to Kashmir. We'll dispatch a terrorist to eliminate you,” Krishnamurthy said.
The BJP state Vice President Narayanan Thirupathy condemned his speech saying that 'foul' and 'filthy' language is in the "DMK's DNA". "It's DMK's culture," the BJP leader said adding that for the last 60 years, the DMK has been using foul and filthy language. They are known for such derogatory comments, he added. "Shivaji Krishnamoorthy and RS Bharathi had abused Governor RN Ravi and said they will kill him. We wonder if DMK has any links with terrorists," he said.
