Thiruvananthapuram: CPI(M) leader Jaick C Thomas has been served a defamation notice for making abusive remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a discussion on a Malayalam channel on November 19 in Kerala.
Dr R Balashankar, senior journalist and former BJP national intellectual convener, sent a legal notice to the CPI (M) leader for referring to Narendra Modi as “Naradhaman” during the discussion on the Asianet TV News Channel.
“In the present case, Jaick C Thomas not only made obnoxious remarks against a high constitutional functionary, but when the other esteemed panelist objected to such remarks, he continued to repeat that statement and also ignored the request of the news anchor to take his statement back,” Balashankar, who is also working with the party’s national campaign and training departments, said in the notice sent on Saturday.
CPI(M) leader Jaick C Thomas is also the former state president of SFI, hailing from Kottayam district. He contested three times against former chief minister Oommen Chandy from Puthupally Assembly constituency.
“The remark in Malayalam means’sub-human’ or ‘not even human’, and therefore, his statements offensively portrayed that the office of the Prime Minister of India is not even being occupied by a human,” the notice said.
That apart, the statements by Jaick C Thomas clearly constitute hate speech and have targeted Modi as well as his group, which firmly believes in the Modi brand of governance, it added.
The notice provides an opportunity to tender an unconditional public apology within 7 days of its receipt by him.
“In case of his failure to tender an unconditional public apology, appropriate legal proceedings will be initiated against him,” Balashankar, former editor of Organiser Weekly, said.
“This remarks offended the human and civic dignity of my client, who shares a strong civic affinity and association with the Prime Minister’s policies, vision, and mission for developing our country into a great nation in the 21st century. Consequently, you intentionally inflicted emotional distress on my client, which makes you liable for damages in appropriate civil proceedings,” the notice sent by Advocate Ojaswa Pathak on behalf of the BJP leader said.
“Your statements have also promoted enmity, hatred, and ill-will between different such groups, which is also a punishable offense and is certainly not expected by a person whose statements exercise significant influence on the general public and owes a duty to be more responsible.”
“Your statements clearly amounted to defamation as well, because they have lowered the reputation of my client, who affirms and aligns with Modi’s vision and mission of ushering in a new era of peace and prosperity in our great nation. In fact, your statements have exposed my client to ridicule, and his reputation as a supporter of such policies has lowered in the eyes of the right-thinking people of our society,” the notice said.
It is also to be noted that senior Congress leader and former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar was suspended from the Congress party’s primary membership as part of disciplinary proceedings for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “neech aadmi” during the Gujarat Assembly Election in December 2017.
“But, in this case, no such disciplinary action was taken by the CPI(M)against Jaick C. Thomas. Hence, it was decided to go ahead with such a legal action against him,” Balashankar said.
“A person who is said to be ‘Naradhaman’ cannot even contest elections. According to the Constitution, women, men, and people of different genders are considered equal human beings. The mention of ‘Naradhaman’ has nothing to do with it. This can only be seen as an insult to the Constitution.”
“Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister after contesting elections democratically and winning with a two-thirds majority. The CPI(M) leader’s abusive remarks are an insult to the 1.4 billion people of the country and to India internationally,” he said.
