Coimbatore, Apr 25 : With regard to the issue of DMK President, M K Stalin linking Minister SP Velumani with the arrest of a news portal owner in the city, Tamil Nadu the Minister asked him to stop issuing such defamatory statement and spreading canards.

When entire world is taking all out efforts to combat the deadly Covid-19band Tamil Nadu becoming a model to other States in fighting the disease, Stalin without knowing what to do, was issuing unnecessary statement against the
Government in jealousy, Velumani said in a statement.

Stating that he was not at all bothered about the unnecessary and false allegations, Velumani said that the people and the media were aware
of the efforts taken by him and the government to prevent the spread of disease in Chennai, Coimbatore and Nilgiris.

The arrest was made following the complaint made by a corporation official, which could have led to provoking the government staff and
doctors against the Government, he said.

” I condemn the way Stalin linking my name in the arrest, even when I do not know that such a news portal even exists”, he said.

Where was Stalin’s love for freedom of press, when a TV Channel, close to him, removed a senior journalist and his team recently for telecasting a news on him; and where was he when his party leader R S Bharathi made defamatory remarks on entire journalist community, Velumani asked.

Depressed and unable to bear the success of the Government in fighting the disease, Stalin, forgetting political decency, was issuing
half baked statement and supporting some elements who wanted to create unrest among the government staff and doctors, Velumani said.

Stalin on Friday had condemned the arrest of Andrew Sam Raja Pandian, a portal owner and accused the government of misusing its powers during the crisis and also Velumani for using police to arrest journalists