The Hindu : BJP demands `direct reply' from Karunanidhi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 23, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

BJP demands `direct reply' from Karunanidhi

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MARCH 22. The Bharatiya Janata Party today demanded a ``direct reply'' from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam whether it had ``swallowed the disparaging remarks'' and accusations made by the Congress that the party aided and abetted the terrorist activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

The BJP national secretary, L. Ganesan, said the former Congress president, Sitaram Kesri, had demanded dropping of DMK Ministers from the I.K.Gujral Ministry, accusing it, particularly its leadership, of backing the LTTE.

Releasing copies of Kesri's letter to the President, Mr. Ganesan said the former Congress chief had said that the Jain Commission set up to inquire into the circumstances that led to the assassination of the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, in its report had indicted the DMK as ``supporter of the LTTE.''

Kesri had said: ``The report has exhaustively dealt with the role of a section of the DMK particularly its leadership and the Tamil Nadu Government led by Karunanidhi in aiding and abetting the LTTE organisation.''

Instead of responding to the questions raised by the BJP over the Congress accusations, Mr. Karunanidhi was indulging in false propaganda to create a wedge between the Prime Minister, A.B.Vajpayee, and the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K.Advani, Mr.Ganesan said. ``I want a direct reply from the DMK whether it has swallowed the disparaging remarks made against them accusing them of indulging in aiding and abetting anti-nation and terrorist activities of the LTTE for the sake of an alliance with the Congress.''

Mr.Ganesan's statement comes a day after Mr.Karunanidhi said ``someone in the BJP was making moves behind Mr.Vajpayee's back.''

Earlier, Mr. Karunanidhi had described the alliance between the BJP and the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam as an alliance between Mr.Advani and the AIADMK general secretary, Jayalalithaa.

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