K Palanisamy alleged opposition parties spread rumours on software engineer K Raghupaty's death (File)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palanisamy today charged opposition parties, especially DMK, of spreading false information about the recent death of a software engineer, allegedly after hitting a wooden structure put up on a road here for the MGR centenary celebrations.
"The death of K Raghupathy was a regretful incident...The opposition parties are politicising it for petty gains. The CCTV footage clearly shows the cause of the death," he told reporters at the airport here.
He said DMK working president MK Stalin could not digest the success of the celebrations state-wide, which were welcomed by all sections of people and that was why he was trying to put blame on AIADMK for erecting the cut outs.
The Chief Minister said the government's version had already been submitted in court.
On November 25, Mr Raghupathy had died after he was run over by a heavy vehicle. The mishap occurred when he fell down from his two-wheeler allegedly after hitting a wooden structure erected for the MGR centenary celebration on a main road here.
A DMK MLA filed a Public Interest Litigation the next day, alleging that the cut-outs posed a safety hazard and cited the death of the techie in an accident.
On November 30, Madras High Court directed Coimbatore district authorities to remove all hoardings and arches, among others, put up on roads in connection with the celebrations there on December 3.
The Chief Minister said everyone was aware of how public money was 'looted' for the Tamil Chemmozhi Conference (Tamil conference) here during DMK rule and the way pandals and banners were erected.
The government's version on the accident has already submitted in the court, he said.
On the December 21 RK Nagar by poll, he said the constituency is the AIADMK's citadel, which was represented by Amma (former chief minister Jayalalithaa) and that the party's candidate E Madhusudhanan would win the election hands down.
Asked if voters would accept Madhusudanan campaigning in two leaves symbol when he had six months back sought votes under 'Hat' (Dhinakaran faction's symbol),he said people would do so as it was the victory symbol of MGR (AIADMK founder and former Chief Minister MG Ramachandran) "who lived for the cause of the poor."
The popularity of the symbol was also spread by Amma (Jayalalithaa), he said.
The Chief Minister said he would start his campaign in RK Nagar on December 6.