Annamalai releases second audio clip attributing to Min PTR

CHENNAI: State BJP leader K Annamalai released yet another audio clip, allegedly attributing it to State Finance Minister Palanivel Thiyaga Rajan. It was the second such audio clip titled ‘DMK files’ released by the saffron party leader in a span of five days.

Within hours, the post created a ripple in social media as it was amplified in Twitter and other social media platforms and widely shared in WhatsApp by the party functionaries and cadres.

“Listen to the DMK ecosystem crumbling from within. The 2nd tape of TN State FM,” said Annamalai in his Twitter handle and tagged PTR. He also thanked the minister for “drawing a proper distinction between DMK and BJP!” and posted a 56 second audio.

Within three hours from posting the clip, nearly 2.22 lakh views it and nearly 5,000 have retweeted.

In the audio clip, a person sounding similar to PTR charged that ministers and MLAs have been handling the party and people and it was easier to do “money management”.

“This kind of system is taking the bulk of spoils and attributed it to “CM’s son and son-in-law”. It was not a sustainable model. He went on to say that he decided to quit after watching this for eight months and before things go nasty.”

On Sunday, a delegation from the BJP called on Governor R N Ravi and requested an independent forensic audit of the audio attributing it to the state finance minister, who called it a “malicious slander” that aimed to draw a wedge between him and his party leader M K Stalin.

A few days after the release of the first audio clip, the minister categorically rejected it as a “fabricated” audio clip. The statement posted in his official Twitter handle, the minister said, “Having failed at painting me as a villain in the public sphere, there seems to be a change of strategy; to paint me as a lone crusader, a reluctant whistle-blower, a pseudo-martyr. Whatever I have done in public life is because of my leader DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin and no malicious attempts to divide us will ever succeed," he added. He also cautioned that he would explore legal action if such slander crosses the threshold of maximum tolerance.