BJP Yuva Morcha Files EC Complaint Against Stalin For Claiming PM Modi Ordered Firing On Sterlite Protesters

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Yuva Morcha has approached the Chief Electoral Officer for the state of Tamil Nadu, Satyabrata Sahoo seeking the imposition of a ban on Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party president M K Stalin from campaigning for the bypolls, reports The Hindu.

The BJP Yuva Mocha filed a complaint against Stalin for his alleged comments blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the police firing on 22 May 2018 that killed 13 persons in Toothukodi, Tamil Nadu during the protests against the Sterlite copper smelting plant. Stalin is said to have made the statement on 1 May 2019 during a campaign.

“Mr Stalin said the firing was done on the instructions of Mr Modi. This statement is defamatory,” said the state vice-president of the BJP Yuva Morcha, SG Suryah.

In the Toothukodi firing incident, thirteen protesters were killed including a 17-year-old school student, and dozens of others were injured. The episode resulted in a massive backlash for the state government, and has since evolved into a major poll issue in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections and simultaneous bypolls to certain seats of the assembly.