New Delhi: The Chennai Police booked Bharatiya Janata Party’s Tamil Nadu chief K. Annamalai for propaganda against the state government in a development that comes a day after the latter accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam of being behind rumours of attacks on Bihari migrant workers in the state.
In a series of tweets he issued Saturday, the BJP chief said the videos that have been circulating on social media showing the alleged attacks on migrant workers were a result of the decades of “divide that the DMK stood for”.
Both the state government and the police have dismissed the videos as false.
On Sunday, Chennai’s Cyber Crime Unit booked Annamalai under Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A(1)(a) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), and 505 (statements conducting to public mischief) in response to his tweets.
The videos, which have been in circulation on social media this past week, have caused tensions between Tamil Nadu and Bihar and led Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to demand action.
Tamil Nadu Police have since clarified that the clips were old and pertained to an unrelated incident. Tamil Nadu’s Director General of Police Shailendra Babu said in a statement Thursday: “Somebody in Bihar has posted a false and misleading video regarding migrant workers from Bihar being attacked in Tamil Nadu. Two videos which are circulating on social media regarding the incident are false. The facts of the videos are twisted so as to appear that migrant workers living in Tamil Nadu are being attacked”.
The incident also elicited a response from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and his administration. In a tweet Saturday, Stalin retweeted an official statement from the state government — that the migrant workers in Tamil Nadu were safe and that strict action would be taken against those spreading “fear and panic”.
The case against Annamalai follows the arrest of BJP leader Prashant Umrao. Umrao, the spokesperson of the unit Uttar Pradesh of BJP, was arrested for tweeting a video on the alleged murder of 12 Bihari migrants in Tamil Nadu.
Political blame game
In a thread of tweets that he posted Saturday, Annamalai accused the DMK’s MPs of making “vile comments on North Indians” and demanded punitive action against those posting such videos.
It is disheartening to see fake news spread in social media about attacks on Migrant workers in Tamil Nadu.
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)
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) March 4, 2023
On Sunday, soon after Chennai Police lodged a case against him, he accused the DMK government of “suppressing the voice of democracy”.
I understand DMK has filed cases against me for exposing their 7-decade propaganda against North Indian brothers.
So, here is the video of what they spoke, which was mentioned in my press release yesterday.
I challenge Fascist DMK to arrest me! pic.twitter.com/U3ZwbXmSSG
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) March 5, 2023
Annamalai’s accusations led to a political slugfest over the issue, with DMK legislator T.R.B Rajaa accusing the BJP of being behind the rumours and disseminating “false information”.
தமிழகத்தில் பாஜகவால் பரப்பப்பட்ட வதந்தியினால் வெளியேறியுள்ளனர் வட மாநிலத்தினர்! அரசியல் லாபத்திற்காக அரங்கேற்றப்பட்ட நாடகத்தினால் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட தொழில்கள்,அதனால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ள தொழிலாளர்களின் குடும்பங்கள், அரசுக்கு வர வேண்டிய வரிவருவாய் இதற்கெல்லாம் யார் பொறுப்பு! #BJPAgainstTN https://t.co/kIcHsl9mRT
— Dr. T R B Rajaa (@TRBRajaa) March 5, 2023
He also called Annamalai a “repeat offender” and a “liar-in-chief”, alleging that his tweets were his “continuing efforts to ensure regional divide!”
Repeat Offender #LiarInChief Annamalai is reiterating lies spread by his #fakenews gang. This is the ORIGINAL video. Am sure he fully understands the content and context of the speech but yet he chooses to revalidate a #Lie.
Shows his continuing efforts to ensure regional divide! https://t.co/txIBsy2U6v pic.twitter.com/5xtqYVzgS1
— Dr. T R B Rajaa (@TRBRajaa) March 5, 2023
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)