BJP youth wing functionary in TN arrested for spreading 'fake news'

Using a fake news card to quote Finance Minister P T R Palanivel Thiaga Rajan as having said that a jacket worn by Chief Minister M K Stalin cost Rs 17 crore has landed a BJP youth wing functionary in jail.

Anil Prasad, an office-bearer of the BJP Youth Wing (BJYM) of Salem district, was arrested on Tuesday for sharing the “fake news” card on his Twitter page. Using a picture of Stalin wearing a red jacket, Prasad had last week said in a Twitter post that the attire cost Rs 17 crore and attributed it to Thiaga Rajan.

The Finance Minister had flagged the post on his verified Twitter page, saying this could be one of the first cases to be cracked by the Social Media Cell of the Tamil Nadu Police announced in the state budget.

He had also said “fools” don’t understand the “repercussions” of their actions. “Sanghis should not go beyond spreading fake news on WhatsApp,” Rajan had tweeted.

The BJP condemned Prasad’s arrest and asked the government to focus more on maintaining law and order than picking up youngsters.

“The number of rapes in #TamilNadu is becoming unprecedented. We are losing tag as a safe state. But the police under @mkstalin is busy arresting these youngsters instead of curtailing rapists. What only happened to all the tolerance talk ?” BJYM state chief Vinoj P Selvam asked on Twitter.

The DMK had on March 26 slapped a legal notice on Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai for making “defamatory, false, scandalous, and vile” statements against Chief Minister M K Stalin, particularly about his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, Annamalai said he had full faith in the judiciary and that he face all “your threats in court.”

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