On Tuesday, as the BJP in Tamil Nadu was basking in its "Vetrivel, Veeravel" across the state, a police complaint against one of its members turned into a huge embarrassment for the party that is fighting hard to find political space in the Dravidian land. A police complaint has been lodged against actor-turned-politician S Ve Shekher for trying to incite communal violence by making provocative speeches through a YouTube channel.
An online police complaint was filed by C. Rajarathinam, a resident of Nungambakkam. "Actor-turned-politician and ex-MLA of Mylapore constituency S Ve Shekher has released a video on his YouTube channel SVES50 TV with a criminal intent to malign the Tamil Nadu chief minister, incite communal disharmony in the state and clearly insult the national flag. S Ve Shekher on August 3 has released a video on his YouTube channel and in this video S Ve Shekher has made certain objectionable remarks with the criminal intent of spreading misinformation about the Tamil Nadu chief minister, insulting the national flag which is respected by every Indian and is trying to incite communal violence in the state," reads the complaint.
The complainant has provided the link to the video in his complaint. In the YouTube video, Shekher criticised Palaniswami for opposing the three-language policy of the Central government and alleged that the CM had himself learnt Hindi, but refuses to introduce it in government schools. He also gave an explanation on the saffron colour in the Indian national flag equating it to religious beliefs.
Incidentally, Palaniswami refused to respond to Shekher's comments when questioned by journalists a few days before. The chief minister dismissed the question saying: "Is Shekher a leader of a party? Who is he? His stature does not merit a comment from the ruling party. He is a person who makes unwanted comments and goes into hiding when a police case is filed against him."
Police sources told THE WEEK that a case will be registered only after investigating the complaint. It is said that Shekher might be soon summoned by the police for detailed investigation as he had spoken against the chief minister.
