File photo of Prakash Karat.
CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat on Sunday filed a complaint against Trinamool Congress lawmaker Derek O'Brien for allegedly using a morphed picture of his being offered sweets by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Targeting the Mamata Banerjee-led party over the photo episode, Mr Karat said Trinamool Congress is getting "increasingly desperate" as the poll campaign in West Bengal goes on.
It shows the level to which Trinamool can "stoop to", he said. Mr Karat, the former CPI(M) general secretary, has lodged the complaint at Mandir Marg police station in the national capital.
"He (O'Brien) has used morphed picture in his press conference and it has also been put on website of Trinamool Congress and this is being widely shown on the (news) channels also," Mr Karat said.
"So, it is politically defamatory and got the party (CPI-M) and myself into disrepute among people. So, action should be taken," Mr Karat said in his complaint.
He said displaying the "fabricated" photograph on TMC's website falls under cyber crime and that it was Mr O'Brien who should be held responsible for "using" the image.
Mr Karat said CPI(M) will also take up the issue before people of the state to "expose" the ruling party "politically".
The Trinamool Congress, following a press conference by its national spokesperson Mr O'Brien, had yesterday posted two videos and six pictures on its website. The party, however, removed the morphed picture from its website after controversy.
Mr O'Brien had yesterday told Press Trust of India that the image was removed from the Trinamool website on realising that the photograph was a morphed one.