Legal notice to Tamil Nadu Speaker over ‘slanderous statements’ against Opposition

New Delhi : Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker, M Appavu, has sparked a row over his comments about Opposition AIADMK MLAs joining the ruling DMK in the state. Following the comments, the AIADMK sent him a legal notice, asking for a public apology.

The joint secretary of the AIADMK legal wing and party spokesperson, RM Babu Murugavel, issued the notice in which the party accused the Speaker of making defamatory remarks about the AIADMK and its MLAs.

In the notice, the party said that Appavu, during a recent event in Chennai, made baseless allegations that 40 AIADMK MLAs were ready to join the DMK during the political turmoil following the demise of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

The notice demands that Appavu conduct a press meeting within 48 hours of receiving the notice to apologise for his “slanderous statements” and pay compensation of Rs 10 crore. Failure to comply will result in the initiation of civil and criminal proceedings against the Speaker, the notice says.

The legal notice says that Appavu’s remarks have caused irreparable damage to the reputation and goodwill of the AIADMK as a political party and have undermined the trust that AIADMK members have in the system and the state.