'I did not verbally assault anyone; if you have guts, bring CBI to investigate the Pooram disruption issue'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister Suresh Gopi has accused the media of misinterpreting his statements and portraying him in a bad light. He said he has not verbally assaulted anyone and does not intend to insult anyone. He alleged that some people are now raising the Thrissur Pooram disruption issue in order to divert attention from the Karuvannur issue.

"Let them say anything they want on the Thrissur Pooram disruption issue. They are raising the issue now to divert attention from the Karuvannur issue. When the Centre introduced the Cooperative Society Act, why didn’t the media support it? Weren't you the ones who opposed it? It was something that benefits the people. You opposed it because you weren’t on the side of the people. That’s why I don’t listen to you. The media has no right to engage in politics. If you do, you lose the qualification to call yourselves media," Suresh Gopi.

"I am not the one to say whether action should be taken against PP Divya. Let her party decide it. Was there an injustice? There should be legal action/punishment according to the system to prevent its repetition. It is the requirement of Naveen Babu's family, the people of Pathanamthitta, and the public including me," he said.

"Do you know what is mentioned in the statement of the person who said that I arrived at the Thrissur Pooram in an ambulance? Why didn't the police file a case based on that statement? Even you people portrayed the things I said in a bad light saying they were just film dialogues. I did not verbally assault anyone and I don't intend to do so. The ambulance was already there as a precaution in case something went wrong at the temple," he said.

"I had been really tired after walking for 15 days campaigning for the election. It was impossible to walk through such a large crowd. I travelled 5 kilometres by car and reached the spot. When goons attacked my car, local youths rescued me. I was not even able to cross the small sewer. It was those apolitical youths who helped me there as well. I got into the ambulance from there. Do these people have the guts to call for a CBI investigation into the matter?" Suresh Gopi added.