Kochi: Opposition leader in Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan on Thursday issued a legal notice to Left Democratic Front (LDF) convenor E P Jayarajan, accusing the senior CPM leader of making defamatory and untrue statements against him.
The Congress leader took the legal route to counter the CPM veteran amid a war of words between the two over a business partnership between Jayarajan's family and Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar's company.
Satheesan, in the legal notice, warned Jayarajan of civil and criminal legal procedures if he did not withdraw the statements made against him during a press meet on Wednesday, March 20. The Congress leader also sought a public apology from Jayarajan. The notice was issued through High Court lawyer Anoop V Nair.
Jayarajan on Wednesday alleged that Satheesan was playing "dirty politics" by morphing photographs of his wife. Jayarajan alleged that Satheesan was behind the circulation of morphed photographs of his wife Indira meeting Chandrasekhar, the BJP candidate from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency. Jayarajan also accused Satheesan of collecting money from abroad illegally.
Reacting to the allegations, Satheesan denied knowledge about any fake or morphed photographs as alleged by Jayarajan. However, he said that he has photographs, released by Chandrasekhar's company, which show Jayarajan's family members with the management of the BJP leader's firm.
Satheesan also hit back by saying that the Left leader has admitted to his family's business relationship with Chandrasekhar by conceding that his wife has shares in a resort linked to a company of the BJP leader. The Congress has repeatedly alleged that there is a tacit understanding between the CPM and the BJP in the state and cited the alleged business relation between the two leaders as proof of it. Jayarajan had also made a statement that the BJP has fielded some strong candidates, including Chandrasekhar in the Lok Sabha elections.
Satheesan said it was up to the CPM to say whether there is anything wrong with a senior member of its party having business links with a BJP leader.
Chandrasekhar on Wednesday questioned how a business relationship between his wife and Jayarajan can be construed as a CPM-BJP agreement.
Following this, it was revealed that Jayarajan's wife had complained to the police against a Thiruvananthapuram DCC member for allegedly posting the morphed photograph on a social media platform.
The Baliapattam police station in Kannur on Tuesday lodged an FIR under Sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation, with intent to cause riot), 465 (forgery), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the IPC against the DCC member.
