Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that there is a lot of misinformation being spread around the death of a pregnant elephant in Kerala which needs to be stopped.
The death of the pregnant elephant has enraged citizens across the country. Reports suggest that the elephant is suspected to have consumed a pineapple filled with powerful firecrackers which exploded in the animal's mouth.
He also claimed that the incident did not happen in Malappuram district. Some initial news reports had suggested that the death took place in Malappuram district.
Taking to Twitter, Shashi Tharoor wrote: "The death of the pregnant elephant moved me terribly, but the disinformation being circulated around it by motivated people needs to be spiked immediately. The incident did not happen in Muslim-majority Malappuram district, but in Palakkad. @RahulGandhi is not MP from there."
Earlier on Wednesday, Lok Sabha MP Maneka Gandhi took to Twitter to denounce the wild elephant's death and the circumstances that caused it. She had claimed that that the incident took place in Malappuram, a district she claimed "is known for its intense criminal activity especially with regards to animals". Maneka Gandhi also said that "No action has ever been taken against a single poacher or wildlife killer so they keep doing it."
The Chief Minister also pointed out that the incident has been used as a targeted campaign against the State. He said: "It was used as a targeted campaign against Kerala and Malappuram. This is not acceptable. People including Union Ministers indulged in this false campaign. We will not allow to question the integrity of Kerala."
