The Hindu : PM satisfied with my explanation says, Kannappan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2003

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PM satisfied with my explanation says, Kannappan

By Our Legal Correspondent

New Delhi Sept. 30. The Non-Conventional Energy Minister, M. Kannappan, who met the Prime Minister along with a delegation of MDMK leaders today, said he had handed over to him a letter explaining the thrust of the speech he made at a function in Chennai on September 16.

Mr. Kannappan said: "I gave him a letter explaining my speech on the basis of which Ms. Jayalalithaa wrote to the Prime Minister asking him to drop me from the Cabinet. The Prime Minister listened to us for 45 minutes and he is satisfied with my explanation."

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Kannappan said that while releasing a book on "Vaiko" on September 16 at the party headquarters in Chennai, he had only recalled the sufferings and sacrifices that Mr. Vaiko underwent in his political life.

He mentioned that Mr. Vaiko had been detained for more than a year under POTA for expressing concern for the rights of self-respect of Sri Lankan Tamils and extending moral support to the LTTE, which had emerged as a single organisation in championing the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Mr. Kannappan said: "I said in my speech our party's stand was of providing only moral support and no other form of support to the LTTE. I have also clarified in my speech that our party stands for unity, integrity and sovereignty of our country and will not support any kind of anti-national activity of any organisation, including the LTTE, in any part of India."

The delegation is also understood to have told Mr. Vajpayee that Ms. Jayalalithaa's letter was part of her larger plan to ban the party and its activities. The letter drew the Prime Minister's attention to the Attorney General's opinion to the Government earlier that Mr. Kannappan's speech would not attract the provisions of POTA.

The letter also urged the Prime Minister to ask the POTA Review Committee, headed by Justice A.B. Saharya, to expedite the process of review of Mr. Vaiko's case. According to Mr. Kannappan, Mr. Vajpayee told the delegation that he would ask the Law Minister to take steps in this regard.

BJP president met

The MDMK leaders later met the Bharatiya Janata Party president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, and apprised him of the developments arising out of the letter written by Ms. Jayalalithaa to the Prime Minister and wanted him to urge the Government to expedite the process of the review of Mr. Vaiko's case by the POTA Review Committee.

Mr. Naidu made it clear to them that "POTA is needed to curb the menace of terrorism and there is no question of repealing it altogether. The BJP's view was that POTA had been misapplied in the case of Mr. Vaiko and Raja Bhaiya (a Uttar Pradesh MLA). I will tell the Prime Minister the need for evolving a mechanism to expedite the process of review of those detained under the POTA and to provide quick redressal if POTA is found to be misused."

Asked about the defect in Sec. 21 (3) of POTA under which Mr. Vaiko was arrested, Mr. Naidu said: "it is for the Government to decide whether any amendment is needed or not."

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