CHENNAI: Higher Education Minister P Viswanathan on Wednesday condemned former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi for allegedly circulating defamatory content on social media regarding a marathon event in Melur, Madurai.

In a statement, Viswanathan said the "ViRa" (Vijay-Rahul) awareness marathon was organised as part of the birthday celebrations of the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam president C Joseph Vijay. The event aimed to create awareness against tobacco, alcohol and drug consumption, as well as sexual offences against women.

According to the Minister, hundreds of students participated in the 4-km run, and a few of them fainted due to the intense heat. He said he personally assisted the affected students by carrying them, sprinkling water on them and ensuring that they received first aid.

Maintaining that his intervention was driven purely by humanitarian concerns, Viswanathan accused Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and the DMK's IT wing of attempting to politicise the incident by sharing defamatory content to tarnish his image.

The Minister also launched a sharp attack on the former School Education Minister, alleging corruption during his tenure and citing recent allegations from representatives of private school associations. He claimed that Anbil Mahesh had failed to respond to those accusations.

Asserting that criticism would not weaken the ruling alliance, Viswanathan warned the DMK against continuing what he termed "Goebbelsian propaganda" and said such campaigns would ultimately backfire politically.