Former DMK min arrested for defamatory remarks on CM

JUST an hour after the Madras High Court denied anticipatory bail to former minister and DMK South district secretary Anitha R Radhakrishnan in a defamation case over alleged derogatory remarks against Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, the Thoothukudi police arrested him from Authoor on Friday.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Thoothukudi/Chennai

Later in the evening, as he was being taken by the police to the Thoothukudi government medical college hospital for health checkup, the Tiruchendur MLA claimed that he was being ‘‘pressured and threatened’’ to resign as MLA and join the ruling TVK. He claimed that he was offered a significant amount of money to quit the DMK and switch loyalty to TVK, but he remained firm on not yielding. ‘‘I will always remain in the DMK,’’ he told the reporters.

Sources said that Radhakrishnan was inspecting records at the Authoor town panchayat office when a police team apprehended him and took him to the office of the Superintendent of Police. Condemning the arrest, DMK cadre led by Thoothukudi Mayor Jegan Periyasamy staged a protest outside the SP’s office. As many as 50 DMK cadre were arrested in Tiruchendur following the agitation.