A video of Kaatiannan Arjunan, former DMK MP from Dharmapuri, abusing and attacking a police officer on duty in a toll plaza went viral on social media. The police officers on COVID duty were reportedly checking e-passes of vehicles passing through Omalur toll plaza falling under Salem district. When they asked the former DMK MP for his travel papers, he got off the front seat of the car and started behaving rudely with the police officer. He abused, hit and kicked them with his leg before leaving in his car.
It is to be noted that K. Arjunan was elected from Dharmapuri as a DMK candidate in the year 1980.
However, DMK mouthpieces Kalaignar Seidhigal and RK Radhakrishnan (Associate Editor or Frontline) peddled the story as Arjunan being an ADMK MP. They had confused the former DMK MP Kaatiannan Arjunan with former ADMK MP K.R. Arjunan.
On the other hand, some Twitterati mistook the person to be DMK MLA Vaagai Chandrasekar.
Following this, the Mr. Vaagai Chandrasekar along with former Mayor Ma. Subramanian registered a complaint with the cybercrime department to take action on a few persons.
"சேலத்தில் காவல்துறையை கேவலமாக பேசி, SI மீது தாக்குதல் நடத்தியதாக திமுக மீது சமூக வலைத்தளங்களில் அவதூறு பரப்புவோர் மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும்"
திமுக சார்பில் திரு. @Subramanian_ma MLA மற்றும் திரு. @vagaiyaar MLA ஆகியோர் காவல்துறையில் புகார்.#Admkfails pic.twitter.com/HJ5gpSqkkY
— DMK IT WING (@DMKITwing) June 29, 2020
'சேலத்தில் அதிமுக பிரமுகரால் SI தாக்கப்பட்ட நிலையில், சமூக வலைதளங்களில் திமுக மீது அவதூறு பரப்பிய அதிமுக & மற்றும் பாஜகவினர் மீது நடவடிக்கை கோரி, திரு. @Subramanian_ma MLA மற்றும் திரு. @vagaiyaar MLA ஆகியோர் சைபர் கிரைம் கூடுதல் ஆணையரிடம் புகார்'#DMK pic.twitter.com/fAYm6sDiYF
— DMK (@arivalayam) June 29, 2020
One of the persons mentioned in the complaint was AIADMK Spokesperson Kovai Sathyan. However, Mr. Sathyan had posted in his social media referring to the former DMK MP Arjunan and not Mr. Vaagai Chandrasekar.
Mr. Kovai Sathyan in his social media handle mentioned Arjunan as ex-MP and added a comment asking Stalin to seek advice from PK [Prashant Kishor, DMK’s political strategist]. Irked by this the DMK included his name in the complaint to the police commissioner. Upon contacting Mr. Kovai Sathyan, he said that he can only laugh at Mr. Vaagai Chandrasekhar’s complaint and added that he shall ask Mr. Vaagai Chandrasekhar to consult PK.
The current party affiliation of K. Arjunan is unclear. His records show that he is a party hopper beginning his political career with the DMK. He was DMK MP from 1980 to 1984. He later went to join ADMK’s Jayalalitha faction (Cock symbol) in 1989 and became MLA. He again was elected as ADMK MLA from 1991 to 1996. He quit and came back to join the DMK in 2006. His current political affiliation is not yet confirmed although it is being said that he is now with DMK or with AMMK after brief a stint with DMDK and Deepa Peravai.