CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president and MP B Manickam Tagore on Saturday (July 4) condemned the complaint lodged by state BJP president Nainar Nagenthran against Higher Education Minister P Viswanathan, describing the allegations as baseless and politically motivated.
In a statement, Tagore said the minister had merely organised sports competitions and a yoga programme for children in his constituency as part of celebrations marking the birthdays of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. He said criticism of such events reflected a prejudiced approach and ignored the facts.
Tagore alleged that the complaint was aimed at targeting the minister and reflected the ideological influence of the RSS.
He accused the BJP of attempting to create an unnecessary controversy around Viswanathan's public activities.
The TNCC president further claimed that the allegations were intended to undermine Viswanathan's role in the Higher Education Department and promote what he described as the RSS's influence in the education sector.
Alleging that the complaint reflected the "politics of hatred" associated with the RSS and the BJP, Tagore reiterated the Congress party's support for the minister. He said the accusations lacked merit and were intended to divert attention from substantive issues concerning higher education.