Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

LTTE training PW cadres, says Swamy

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD DEC. 2. The Janata Party president, Subramanian Swamy, has suggested that the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, adopt a comprehensive approach on fighting naxalism by taking into consideration the links of the People's War with other terrorist organisations in the country.

Dr. Swamy, who met Mr. Naidu this afternoon, urged him to prevail upon the NDA Government at the Centre to take a clear-cut stand on terrorism whether it was perpetrated by the LTTE, ULFA or Islamic organisations. The NDA had constituents such as the MDMK, PMK and the DMK, which were all sympathisers of the LTTE.

The LTTE, he said, had a presence in Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam. In fact, the Tigers were training the PW cadres in Bastar area of Chhattisgarh bordering Andhra Pradesh. He had offered to furnish details about the operations of the different terrorist organisations and their links with one another.

He also discussed with Mr. Naidu the question of supplying water to Chennai from the Kandaleru reservoir in Andhra Pradesh. He told The Hindu that Mr. Naidu appeared to be "very sympathetic" about supplying one tmcft of water and had told him that his officials were trying hard to work out the proposals.

Earlier, addressing a press conference, Dr. Swamy denounced the tendency of parties such as the Congress and the TRS to "legitimise" naxalism by describing it as a socio-economic problem. He said violence by anyone must be countered squarely and its perpetrators routed.

He asserted that he was not trying to justify encounters in which police killed innocents. But, the naxalites had weapons and police would be justified in retaliating with weapons in what was clearly a battle. Dr. Swamy also questioned the "studied silence" of the AICC president, Sonia Gandhi, on the LTTE violence and her "failure" to demand the extradition of V. Prabakaran.

Answering a question about a possible tie-up with the AIADMK in the next Lok Sabha polls, he said that it was for Ms. Jayalalithaa to make such a request since it was she who broke the alliance. Dr. Swamy said he was planning to revive the Janata Party in Andhra Pradesh as he had done earlier in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

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