AIADMK notice to media; says not to publish Stalin’s ‘baseless’ allegations

The legal wing of the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu has sent a notice to all media houses asking them ‘not to print, publish and telecast’ the ‘false, unfounded and baseless allegations’ put forth by DMK leader M.K. Stalin. The notice said the propaganda was aimed at the Chief Minister and the Government of Tamil Nadu and lacked any ‘authenticity.’

The notice, signed by advocate and AIADMK spokesperson R.M. Babu Murugavel, said the party would take legal action if media houses continued to publish the ‘malicious allegations’ of the DMK.

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In the five-page letter, the advocate listed eight allegations by Stalin and explained how those are ‘wrong.’

To the first allegation that ‘in the last 8 years of AIADMK rule, the ratio of SC students who joined higher education stands at 42.1 per cent,’ the party’s ‘truth’ says the ‘gross enrollment ratio of 41 per cent of SC school students joining higher education is the highest in Tamil Nadu compared to the rest of the country. The national average is 23 per cent,’ the notice reads.

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To the second allegation that the AIADMK government has been the sole reason for over 16,000 farmer suicides, the party cites the National Crime Records Bureau data to say  Tamil Nadu reported not 16,000 but 3,203 cases of suicides of those engaged on the farming profession in the last seven years.

To the sixth allegation that Tamil Nadu had the poorest water distribution and water management systems in rural areas, the party said more than 70 per cent urban population had access to piped water as per a survey by the People’s Research on India’s Consumer Economy (PRICE).

Stating that these allegations are examples, the party said despite a restraint/gag order of the High Court of Madras on Stalin, he was intentionally continuing to level allegations.