BJP petitions Election Commission to disqualify Udhayanidhi Stalin

Chennai:The Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP has lodged a formal complaint with the Chief Electoral officer to disqualify DMK youth wing secretary and candidate from Chepauk constituency, Udhayanidhi Stalin from contesting the polls after his reported derogatory statement against late BJP leaders Sushama Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.

Udhayanidhi Stalin had, in a public programme, said that both Sushama Swaraj and Arun Jaitley died owing to the mental torture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP Tamil Nadu state general secretary and party spokesman Advocate K.T. Raghavan while speaking to IANS said, "A BJP delegation has already met Chief Electoral officer Tamil Nadu and lodged a formal complaint to disqualify Udhayanidhi Stalin from contesting elections owing to his highly derogatory remarks against respected BJP leaders, late Sushama Swarajji and late Arun Jaitleyji. This is highly condemnable and we have lodged a criminal complaint against him with the Chennai police commissioner."

Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of Sushama Swaraj, has disapproved of the statement of Udhayanidhi and in a tweet said the 'statement of Udhayanidhi Stalin was totally false and that the Prime minister had bestowed upon the family utmost care and respect at a time when it was needed most'. She also said that 'the Prime minister and BJP had stood by the family like a rock'.

The daughter of Arun Jaitley, Sonali Jaitley Bakshi also came out against the DMK scion and in a tweet said 'her late dad and Prime minister Narendra Modi shared a personal bond beyond politics and that to make false allegations under election pressure was not right'.

Udhayanidhi Stalin had made the comment at a public programme in Dharapuram on Wednesday. He was responding to a comment by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Dharapuram on Tuesday that the young leader of the DMK had reached the top post in the party sidelining many leaders.

The DMK scion had retorted stating that it was Narendra Modi who had become Prime minister sidelining senior leader L.K. Advani. He had also mentioned that both Sushama Swaraj and Arun Jaitley died owing to mental "pressure and torture" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.