The Election Commission has decided “not to proceed further” and closed complaints of violation of model code of conduct lodged against AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister and DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) president actor-politician Vijayakant, after accepting their replies.
The full Commission – Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi and Election Commissioners V.S. Sampath and H.S. Brahma – which met recently took the decision as all the three politicians, in their almost identical replies to the Commission’s notices issued to them earlier, denied that they had made any personal obscene remarks and stated that they had been misquoted or their public meeting speeches taken out of context by the media.
They had only criticised the policies and programmes pursued by their political rivals and such criticism was allowed during the election campaign, they said, adding that they had not indulged in poll code violation or made any derogatory remarks. Those in public life should be ready to come under the scanner.
Complaints against Ms. Jayalalithaa and Mr. Vijayakant were lodged by DMK’s election committee members Pon Muthuramalingam and K.S. Radhakrishnan on April 1 charging the leaders of having made “derogatory and objectionable remarks against the personal life of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M. Karunanidhi and his family members”.
The complaint against Mr. Stalin was given by AIADMK Rajya Sabha member P.H. Manoj Pandian on April 8. Mr. Pandian alleged that Mr. Stalin had made some remarks about the marital status of Ms. Jayalalithaa which was “malicious and was beyond all limits of decency”.
Following the complaints, the Commission issued show cause notices to all the three politicians and sought their reply.
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