On a day when a criminal complaint was filed in a court against MDMK general secretary Vaiko on behalf of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for allegedly defaming him, the MDMK supremo continued his attack on his former mentor saying that he (Karunanidhi) had found himself ‘blotted in the history books by his handling of the Sri Lankan issue’.

Addressing party workers in Karur, Vaiko said history would never forgive Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Karunanidhi for their act.

‘Though over 1.45 lakh Tamils have been killed in the war, the two have not reached out to the suffering Tamils except by paying lip service. Sonia and Karunanidhi have found themselves blotted in the history books,’ he said.

Stating that MDMK would continue to voice its support for Sri Lankan Tamils, Vaiko said Tamil children and women were subjected to untold misery and harassment at the hands of the Sri Lankan armed forces.

Tamilnadu Electricity Minister Arcot Veerasamy on Monday filed a defamation suit against Vaiko on behalf of Karunanidhi at a court in Egmore here, for having claimed that it was he (Karunanidhi) who orchestrated the violent attack on the office premises of film director Bharathiraja.

In his petition, the Minister stated that Vaiko while speaking at a meeting had stated that the attack on the office of Bharathiraja was made with Karunanidhi’s knowledge. It was inappropriate, made in bad taste and solely intended to harm the reputation of the Chief Minister and the State government.

The defamatory action was punishable under Section 499, 500 and 501 of Indian Penal Code. The petition further said that a notice was sent to Vaiko on 1 June seeking his unconditional apology within 24 hours from the receipt of the notice. However, he did not make any regret.

The petition came up for hearing before Chief Metropolitan Judge Sethu Madhavan. Arcot Veerasamy personally appeared before the Judge and filed the petition. After admitting the petition, the Judge adjourned the hearing to 16 June.