Complaints against Tamil orator Nellai Kannan for controversial speech on PM, Home Minister

Nellai Kannan was speaking at an SDPI event on Sunday.

news Controversy

A Tamil orator has courted controversy for making 'provocative' remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah at an anti-CAA protest meeting held by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

The Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP filed a police complaint seeking action against Nellai Kannan, who is also a Tamil writer, as a video of his speech at the meet in Tirunelveli on Saturday went viral on social media. Kannan was speaking at the event, along with Velmurugan of the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi and Nellai Mubarak, state chief of the SDPI.

“There is one guy called Amit Shah. (Modi) is the Prime Minister but (Amit Shah) is his brains. If Amit Shah is finished off then Modi is finished too. Leave that be to one side,” he says.

Then looking around at the mostly Muslim dignitaries on stage, he adds, “But none of you are finishing it. Let that be to one side. I keep thinking you all will do something."

BJP party General Secretary KS Narendran separately petitioned the state Director General of Police seeking stringent action against the orator, alleging his remarks went against national integrity and would lead to communal clash.

Kannan is a Tamil litterateur and has taken part in several television shows based on literature and oratory.

In his police complaint, BJP state unit spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathi alleged Kannan called out the names of Prime Minister and Home Minister at the meeting.

The complaint alleged that Kannan, in his remarks at the meeting, slammed Modi and Shah duo for bringing the Citizenship Amendment Act.

The writer told the gathering he was "shocked as to why Muslims have not yet killed the Prime Minister and Home Minister...", the complaint alleged.

Maintaining that such remarks were an "open threat to the lives" of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, an attempt to incite violence, criminal intimidation, and abetment to murder also, it said all these were punishable under the Indian Penal Code and sought action against Kannan.

"His entire speech is nothing but one to incite hatred and enmity between Hindus and Muslims, and the speech is one which is prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony.

He abuses many castes in his speech and calls people belonging to a particular community as dogs," the complaint said.

In his more than half-an-hour address, the orator resorted to uncivil and abusive language, the BJP alleged.

"...he openly and derogatorily abuses various political leaders of the country which does not amount to a decent criticism," it said adding the speech was against "public tranquility".

"I request the authorities to kindly arrest the Nellai Kannan and prosecute him," the complaint said.

In the speech, Kannan also makes it clear that he would refer to people by their caste names.

“Everyone spoke angrily. It was good,” he says. Patting Velmurugan on the back, he says, “Padayachi (caste) got very angry,” adding, “The kids know, I call everyone by their caste name.”

Further, in an apparent reference to former Indian Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and the allegation of sexual harassment against him, Kannan says, “Wasn't there a Minister called Gogoi? He was the one who pronounced the verdict in the Babri Masjid case. He was threatened by using a woman. He was honest. They made a woman say that she was harassed by him.”

Update- Nellai Kannan booked under various sections. Read here.

PTI inputs