[ad_1]
By India Today News Desk: Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai has challenged Chief Minister MK Stalin to file a case of defamation against him, now for releasing the ‘PTR audio tapes’, news agency PTI reported. This comes two days after the Tamil Nadu government filed a defamation case against state BJP chief Annamalai over his DMK files that he released in April accusing CM MK Stalin of graft.
A day after the Cabinet reshuffle, Annamalai demanded the reason behind shifting Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (PTR) from Finance to the Information technology department.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, he said Stalin himself had praised PTR more than once for his work in the Finance department. PTR had been the brand ambassador for the DMK’s Dravidian model government across the country and shunting him out of the department in the wake of the leak of audio clips was “unacceptable.”
In order to “propagate” the dynasty, TRB Rajaa (Industries Minister and son of senior DMK leader TR Baalu) has been inducted into the Council of Ministers, he alleged.
ALSO READ | Does Tamil Nadu Cabinet reshuffle signal a change of guard in DMK?
Two audio clips were released recently by Annamalai. It was purported to be a conversation between PTR and another person in which PTR had allegedly made remarks about the assets of DMK’s first family. PTR dismissed such claims and rejected the clips as “malicious and fabricated” and insisted they were digitally altered.
Rajan “did not commit any wrongs,” the BJP leader said and alleged “wrongs” were committed by the DMK first family, about persons who had “committed wrongs.”
Pointing to the state government filing a criminal defamation case against him in a court here on May 10 for levelling corruption allegations against Stalin, Annamalai requested the chief minister to file a similar case against him for leaking “PTR audio tapes.”
Citing the submission made by the government in court that his allegation had caused harm to CM’s reputation, Annamalai said the argument holds good for the allegations made in audio tapes as well. “I am challenging the chief minister,” he said and urged Stalin to file a defamation case against him on the audio tapes issue.
ALSO READ | Those who segregate people on caste, religion will not understand…: Stalin responds to TN Guv
Annamalai said he would surrender the audio tapes to court, which should be examined and sent for forensics analysis. The tapes have a recording of over an hour of conversation, he claimed.
“There should be a court-ordered independent inquiry and action. I am ready to submit in court the full audio tapes. There are more in the tapes. The reason for I am not releasing the part 3 and 4 of the audio tapes is out of the fear that PTR should not be made a scapegoat (by the DMK)…I will prove in court that the tapes are genuine,” Annamalai was quoted as saying by PTI.
On April 14, 2023, Annamalai released “DMK Files.” Referring to the DMK rule between 2006 and 2011, he had alleged that payments were received by the party as kickbacks from a company that won a bid related to the execution of the Chennai Metro Rail Phase I project.
Answering a question, the BJP state unit chief said he would release the “DMK Files,” parts 2 and 3 in July’s first week.
[ad_2]
