Chief Minister Jayalalithaa expelled former DGP R Nataraj from the party on Sunday, after Thanthi TV put out a statement attributed to him, in which he allegedly criticized the government.
But soon after Nataraj’s expulsion, Thanthi TV clarified that the statement was wrongly attributed to him.
A source from the channel said that they had contacted R Natarajan, advisor to the US consulate to take his reaction on the recent Chennai floods and instead used the former DGP’s picture, during the telecast of the interview. Following the incident, the channel issued an apology to Nataraj on Sunday morning. They also removed the content from their website.
R Nataraj told The Hindu, “The channel by mistake used my name and designation. I had lodged my strong protest with the Editor of the channel and later the content was removed.”
He also released a press statement holding Thanthi TV responsible for the mess and asking if a mere apology would suffice.
Meanwhile, senior journalist RK Radhakrishnan who appears as an expert on the show Achu alasal, expressed his displeasure over the channel’s reaction and said that they had not apologized enough.
A source in the Chief Minister’s office told The News Minute that there was a likelihood of Nataraj being taken back into the party after he explained his stand to the Chief Minister. However, the source hinted that legal action could be taken against the channel.
Nataraj joined the AIADMK party last year, after resigning as the Tamil Nadu Public Services Commission chairman.