Chennai: Contending that Tamil film director Ameer Sultan should have maintained decorum during a public debate and refrained from passing derogatory comments, BJP state president Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan said Ameer had provoked the audience by his unwarranted remarks on the murder of Hindu Munnani cadre C. Sasikumar.
“He is totally wrong. The debate (organised by a private TV channel in Coimbatore on Saturday) was progressing in a healthy manner and all of a sudden Ameer breached the peace by passing derogatory comments on Sasikumar’s murder and also on the rally taken out to condemn his murder. He alleged that the Hindu Munnani activists indulged in arson during the rally, while speaking about the violence witnessed during the anti-Sterlite rally in Thoothukudi,” Dr Tamilisai told this correspondent on Sunday.
His remarks were totally out of context and defamatory too. Taking strong exception, Hindu Munnani and BJP members who were present on the occasion, demanded an apology from Ameer. “Coimbatore is a sensitive place and there was no need for him to speak about Sasikumar’s case. This has provoked the BJP and HM members and our people started shouting in protest and demanded an apology. At the same time, those who relished what he uttered, applauded. Then police had to intervene and ask the organisers to wind up the programme,” she said. While speaking on the Thoothukudi violence, she claimed that anti-social elements infiltrated the rally on May 22.
Meanwhile, in a petition submitted to Coimbatore Police Commissioner K. Periaiah, BJP district president Nandakumar accused Ameer of referring to Hindu Munnani functionary C. Sasikumar’s murder and violence thereafter, during the debate on Thoothukudi firing incident.
“An attempt was made to instigate communal passion leading to violence and also hurting the sentiments of a large section of the invitees,” the petition said.
