Chennai, Nov 11 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Manickam Tagore has cautioned against declaring Kallakurichi TVK MLA Arul Vignesh guilty before examining allegations that he sent obscene messages to the district’s woman Collector, saying the legislator’s denial must also be considered.
Speaking at a press conference, Tagore questioned what he described as a “media trial” of the MLA, who has denied wrongdoing and sought scrutiny of CCTV footage and his mobile phone.
“The MLA has explained. He has asked for CCTV footage to be examined and his phone to be checked. When he denies the allegations, how is it fair to speak as though his guilt has already been established?” Tagore asked.
Responding to questions about reports that the Collector had complained to the Chief Secretary, he sought details of the purported complaint and urged journalists to publish the relevant information.
Collectors and the Chief Secretary routinely communicate on administrative matters, he said, adding that such exchanges alone could not establish the nature of a complaint or substantiate allegations against an individual.
Tagore also rejected comparisons between the accusations against Arul Vignesh and remarks made by DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin at a public meeting in Thanjavur.
He condemned Udhayanidhi’s remarks about a woman as offensive and unacceptable, saying the speech had been delivered publicly before around 2,000 people and was available on video.
A publicly recorded speech and an allegation denied by the person concerned could not be treated as equivalent, he argued, challenging those accusing the Kallakurichi MLA to produce evidence.
Addressing a separate allegation of assault involving the Deputy Speaker, Tagore said police should take appropriate action if the alleged victim had lodged a complaint.
“Whoever the victim may be, police must act on a complaint. There is no difference of opinion on that,” he said.
He insisted that the two matters should be examined separately and objected to combining unrelated incidents to portray everyone facing accusations as guilty. Tagore maintained that his position was limited to opposing a premature declaration of guilt.
The MLA’s explanation should be examined before conclusions were drawn, he said. His remarks come after Congress MPs Jothimani and Sudha strongly criticised Arul Vignesh over the alleged obscene messages to the Collector, highlighting differing responses within the Congress to the controversy surrounding the TVK legislator.
–IANS
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