THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, March 28: Kerala BJP vice president B Gopalakrishnan on Friday took strong exception to the CPI(M)’s campaign against him following his public apology to former minister P K Sreemathi to settle a defamation case filed by the latter against him.
In a Facebook post, Gopalakrishnan said the CPI(M) cadres were spreading canards about his expression of regret and targeting him on social media.
“My apology comes out of my generosity as a public servant and my commitment to uphold dignity in politics. I was not forced by anyone to express regret,” he said in the post.
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“I tendered an apology as part of my dignified political stance to set an example in Kerala politics. I had only repeated a charge against Sreemathi made by a late political leader and I apologised as I could not substantiate it,” he said.
“Senior CPI(M) leader Sreemathi had directly told me that a woman’s dignity was damaged. She was also advised by her lawyer that the defamation case would not stand and they could settle the case seeking an expression of regret,” Gopalakrishnan said.
The allegation against Sreemathi was that her son was the director of a fraudulent company called Medical Service Corporation and that she had made a dishonest transaction during her tenure as state health minister between 2006-11.
“When the case was settled on Thursday, Sreemathi requested me to express my regret publicly before the media, to which I agreed,” he said in the post.
Those who do not know all this are spreading canards on the social media by misrepresenting facts, he said.
Gopalakrishnan had on Thursday publicly apologised to P K Sreemathi for the defamatory remarks he made against her during a TV debate in 2018.
“I regret the mental distress caused to Sreemathi Teacher. I have no evidence to substantiate my claims,” Gopalakrishnan told reporters on Thursday, standing alongside Sreemathi.
The issue started with a defamation complaint filed by Sreemathi before the Kannur judicial first class magistrate court.
Gopalakrishnan had later moved the High Court seeking to quash the case, where a settlement was reached on Thursday following his apology. (PTI)
