Kochi: It has not been long since he tendered a public apology to CPM leader P K Sreemathy in a defamation case against him, but BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan has now come out with a Facebook post, asserting that his apology was an act of generosity and claiming that Sreemathy had told him she was being mocked by her relatives, which moved her to tears. He also claimed that through his gesture, he was setting an example for Kerala’s political landscape. 

His explanation served as a response to the criticism and ridicule that followed his apology.

The public apology was related to remarks Gopalakrishnan had made against Sreemathy and her family during a television debate on January 25, 2018. Both leaders had appeared before the High Court on Thursday as part of a settlement.

During the debate, Gopalakrishnan had alleged that while Sreemathy was the Health Minister, her son along with Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s son had run a pharmaceutical company that secured a government contract to supply medicines to public hospitals. Following these allegations, Sreemathy had filed a defamation case against him in a magistrate court in Kannur.

Gopalakrishnan later moved the High Court, seeking to quash the case. Eventually, both parties agreed to resolve the issue through mediation. Speaking to the media, Gopalakrishnan said that his remarks about Sreemathy’s son were based on allegations made earlier by the late MLA P T Thomas. He stated that he later realised there was no concrete evidence to support these claims, which led him to express regret.

Shortly after this, he took to Facebook to provide further explanations:
"I had no interest in making this post, but people should know the truth. As a public figure, my apology was an act of generosity, and I recorded it with the hope that it would serve as an example. The case was not fought or decided in court. When Sreemathy Teacher personally told me that her dignity had been hurt, I saw it as a matter of political honour and decided to set an example for Kerala’s political culture by expressing regret.

The defamation case against me was based on my comments in a TV debate, where I repeated allegations originally made by P T Thomas, who had claimed in a press conference that Sreemathy’s son was a director of a fraudulent company called the Medical Services Corporation and that there were irregularities in its dealings while she was the Health Minister.
Sreemathy filed the case against me, and during the legal proceedings, her lawyer himself admitted that the case had no merit since I had only repeated what P T Thomas had said in a public forum. Realising this, the lawyer advised Sreemathy to settle the matter, which we did in the Kannur court.

During the settlement process, Sreemathy became emotional and shared that she was being mocked by her relatives. I believe that a woman's tears hold more value than politics, and so, as a matter of honour, I chose to apologise.
This was my decision, and it was not dictated by anyone. No one compelled me to apologise, nor was I under any legal obligation to do so. Even if the case had gone forward, there would have been no consequences for me. However, I recorded my apology as a matter of personal integrity.

Those who do not understand the gravity of the situation have been making baseless comments online. Sreemathy herself parted ways with me, expressing gratitude and good wishes.

One more important point—DYFI leader Arun Kumar was present as witness when I stated that several directors of the so-called Medical Services Corporation were, in fact, the children of prominent CPM leaders from Kannur. This had been reported in a vernacular newspaper. I respected Sreemathy's opinion that this should not be mentioned and refrained from naming individuals, as a matter of political honour. Since there was no concrete proof linking her son, I personally decided to express regret.

Those misinterpreting my decision should know that people with integrity will understand, while those without it will continue barking. I will not act against my principles or step back from my decisions.

Let me remind these critics—when Deshabhimani apologised to P S Sreedharan Pillai in the past, they did not hesitate. And now, Govindan, who is currently involved in a defamation case I filed, has had to secure bail from the Thrissur CJM court. People should not forget this.