CHENNAI: The DMK on Wednesday accused the Tamil Nadu government of using the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) for political purposes and warned that it would initiate legal action if the practice continued.
The criticism comes in the wake of a video clip released by the DIPR featuring Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's remarks in the Assembly. The clip carried a caption describing the Chief Minister's response as a befitting reply to the Opposition.
Condemning the move, DMK Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate P Wilson alleged that the captions attached to official government videos were being used to target the Opposition and its legislators.
In a post on social media platform X, Wilson said there should be a clear distinction between the functioning of a political party and that of the government.
“It is unprecedented for a government department funded by public money to be used for political messaging against the Opposition. The DIPR is meant to disseminate official information and government programmes, not function as a political communication platform,” he said.
Wilson urged the Chief Minister to refrain from using the department as a personal public relations agency and warned that the Opposition would explore legal remedies if such practices continued.
“The department functions using public funds. If it continues to be used for partisan political purposes, appropriate legal action will be initiated,” he said. In his post, Wilson further questioned whether the government's approach to public communication was linked to the recent appointment of Jagadish as Personal Secretary to the Chief Minister.