Chennai: The ruling AIADMK on Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer here, alleging cash distribution by the DMK during the poll campaign of party candidate Kanimozhi in Tuticorin, which was refuted by the main opposition party.
The AIADMK's election wing deputy secretary and MLA I S Inbadurai, in his complaint, alleged that a video clip showing the distribution of cash by a DMK leader during the campaign trail of Kanimozhi has "gone viral." DMK's Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi is contesting the polls from Tuticorin Lok Sabha constituency. She has already filed her nomination papers.
The clip, which was made available to the media, ran for 41 seconds and shows Kanimozhi accepting the greetings of people.
The video shows a leader standing next to her purportedly distributing cash to women who performed 'aarti' to her.
The cash distribution is a criminal offence and also against the Model Code of Conduct and hence Kanimozhi's nomination papers should be rejected and action taken against her, the AIADMK leader said in the complaint.
Also read: Actress Sumalatha to contest polls independently with BJP support
"The Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo has assured us he will look into our complaint and seek a report from Tuticorin poll authorities," Inbadurai told PTI.
The AIADMK leader said he also provided a copy of the video to the CEO. Performance of aarti is a traditional practice to ward off the evil eye and mark auspiciousness.
When contacted, DMK refuted the claim and dismissed it as an old video clip shot long ago during a gram sabha event held by it. Despite many attempts, the CEO was unavailable for comments.
