Bengaluru, Aug 3 : T.J. Abraham, a social activist who had made a submission to Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot seeking consent for prosecution against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has slammed the CM for dubbing him a 'blackmailer' and demanded the withdrawal of the statement.

'Mr. Siddaramaiah, I am hurt and defamed by the statement you made against me before the media in Mysuru, calling me a blackmailer. I urge you to withdraw your statement, express regret, and issue a public apology, or else I will initiate criminal defamation proceedings against you,' Abraham said.

He added, 'You are levelling utterly false and frivolous allegations against me, calling me a blackmailer.'

'You are defaming me out of desperation because I am pursuing a case of criminal manipulations culminating in the MUDA illegally allotting alternative sites to your family, which are corrupt gains by corrupt means, for yourself and your family, enriching yourselves illegally to a tune of around Rs 55.80 crore at the cost of the state exchequer," he added.

Earlier, CM Siddaramaiah called Abraham a blackmailer and said that his complaint should not have been entertained by the Governor.

'To remind you, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was convicted in a criminal defamation case for his 'Modi' surname remark made in 2019. As a consequence, he was dismembered from the membership of the Parliament,' Abraham said.

/IANS