The Bharatiya Janata Party in Tamil Nadu has accused Nagercoil city Mayor and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader R Mahesh of issuing death threats to its members, reported India Today on Wednesday.

At a DMK party meeting in Kanyakumari district’s Nagercoil on Monday, Mahesh was seen making a throat-slitting gesture while speaking about BJP members.

“I want to tell my BJP party friends, if you think you can cause hindrance for events in my ward, in a corporation where I am the mayor and in a district where I am the secretary…Not just your party flags, even if you stick your head out, then [makes a gesture of slitting throat]…understand it,” Mahesh could be heard saying in the video, according to India Today.

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Mahesh added that he does not care even if a case was filed against him since he has been a lawyer for over 32 years.

Sharing the video on social media, CTR Nirmal Kumar, the social media head of BJP’s state unit, said that no first information report has been filed in the incident yet as well as no action has been taken by the authorities.

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the principal opposition party in Tamil Nadu, also criticised Mahesh’s remarks.

Mahesh, however, said that his remarks was in response to BJP’s activities in the region, reported The Indian Express.

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“On November 2, there was a corporation sabha meeting at my ward,” Mahesh told The Indian Express. “I had planned a welcome for our senior leaders and had installed party flags at a distance from the area where the meeting was supposed to be held.”

The mayor alleged that just a day before the meeting, BJP functionaries installed their flags in all the areas across the meeting premises. “This was a government function and hence I had not put any flags near the meeting space but BJP did not follow that,” Mahesh added.

The DMK leader alleged that the BJP tried to hinder the event and disrespect the office of the mayor.