The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Monday said that the party members and spokespersons will boycott television debates since these debates are allegedly defaming the party and bringing a stain to the leaders of the party. The leaders also requested the media to stop inviting AIADMK members for television debates and for members to stop attending the debates on behalf of the party.

On Monday, a joint statement by AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam and coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami said, “When there are basic problems faced by the people every day, instead of highlighting those problems, the fourth pillar of democracy—media—is debating on topics that brings a taint to the image of the AIADMK, a stain to the party leader, and functions against virtue of media and attempts to reduce the party, which is upsetting to the party members.”

The statement noted, “AIADMK party members or spokespersons will not participate on behalf of the party in television debates. We also urge the media to stop making representatives talk for us.”

“We also request that the media do not invite or accept anyone with a name that reflects our party. They should not invite select members and name them as representatives of AIADMK,” the statement added.

Earlier the BJP, an alliance partner of AIADMK, announced that the party will not send their party spokesperson to participate in television debates. In 2019, the then BJP state president Tamilisai Soundarajan said that the representatives will not participate in the debates since there was no balance or equal opportunity in these debates.

Meanwhile, even the principal opposition Congress party decided not to send their representatives for television debates when the results of the four states and union territory elections were announced on May 2. The Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that taking into account the serious COVID-19 situation, the party would not send their spokesperson for television debates on the day of counting, on May 2.