CHENNAI: Police have registered cases under various legal provisions against senior DMK leaders A Raja and P K Sekar Babu over alleged defamatory remarks against Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay during recent party demonstrations, an official said on Tuesday.Besides DMK deputy general secretary Raja and former minister Babu, a case was also registered against party MLA Vasantham Karthikeyan for allegedly making defamatory remarks on September 12.The official said a case was registered at B1 North Beach Police Station against Babu, the DMK’s Harbour MLA and Chennai East district secretary, following a complaint that he had made derogatory remarks against the chief minister during a party protest.Saidapet police registered a case against Raja based on a complaint filed by TVK functionary Karthik, alleging that Raja made derogatory remarks against Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar during the protest against the chief minister’s speech in the Assembly.Daring the ruling TVK to book a case against him, Raja had said even Congress and BJP leaders had accepted party president M K Stalin’s contribution and arrest under MISA during the Emergency.In Kallakurichi, police registered a case against Rishivandhiyam MLA Vasantham Karthikeyan for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Vijay.The DMK had organised statewide protests targeting the chief minister following his remarks on Stalin’s detention under MISA during the Emergency and his jaw gestures.While making corruption allegations against the DMK during the recently concluded Assembly session, Vijay referred to Stalin’s arrest under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act during the Emergency and made jaw gestures, which were opposed by DMK members in the House.Later, Kumar defended the chief minister’s remarks in the Assembly and disputed the long-standing narrative that DMK chief Stalin was arrested under the stringent MISA during the 1975-77 Emergency.Speaking to reporters in Madurai after inspecting preparations for the Meenakshi Amman Temple consecration ceremony, the minister said there was no official detention order copy to substantiate Stalin’s claim of being a MISA detainee.“No detention copy, no MISA arrest,” Kumar had said, accusing the opposition DMK of overreacting and attempting to project Stalin as a political martyr based on unverified historical claims.“The fundamental question is whether he was detained under MISA or not,” Kumar stated.“If anyone is arrested under such an act, there will always be a formal detention order copy. Does Stalin or the DMK have that detention copy? He will end up being the only martyr without one,” the minister had said.
