"None should be criticised personally": Puducherry CM

Amid demand for the arrest of a Tamil orator for alleged provocative remarks against the Prime Minister and others, Puducherry Chief Minister and senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy on Wednesday said making personal comments would not be the civilised approach.

He was responding to a question from reporters on his views about the `provocative` remarks by Tamil writer and orator Nellai Kannan at a recent anti-CAA meeting organised by the Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in Tirunelveli in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

"One should not be criticised personally while there is liberty for one to comment on the basis of policies," Naryanasamy said adding making personal comments would not be "a civilised approach".

Kannan landed in trouble after a video of his purported speech at the meeting against the Citizenship Amendment Acton Saturday went viral on social media and the BJP lodged a police complaint seeking his arrest and prosecution.

State BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathi on Monday lodged a police complaint, alleging that Kannan called out the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah at the meeting and told the gathering he was "shocked as to why Muslims have not yet killed the Prime Minister and Home Minister..."

Several senior BJP leaders staged a protest in Chennai on Wednesday demanding the arrest of Kannan, who has been hospitalised after he complained of "chest pain" when police visited his home on Tuesday after registration of a case against him.