The Hindu : In Tamil Nadu, POTA politics takes centre stage

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 28, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

In Tamil Nadu, POTA politics takes centre stage

The DMK and its allies have zeroed in on the antiterrorism law and its `misuse' as a major campaign plank in the elections, says V. Jayanth

The DMK and its allies have honed in on the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and its "misuse" in the State as one of their major poll planks in the general elections. The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader, Vaiko, who spent over 18 months in prison after he was detained under the POTA in July 2002, will be the key campaigner for the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA); he will tell people how the draconian law, meant to be used against terrorists, has been wielded against the Government's "political opponents".

With the AIADMK regime having used POTA against over 40 persons in the State, the opposition has been vociferous about its "blatant misuse". Those arrested under the law include eight members of the MDMK, the editor of a Tamil magazine, R. Gopal, the Tamil Nationalist Movement leader, P. Nedumaran and his associates, and about 25 suspected naxalites,

The DMK had made POTA an issue long before it walked out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Party president, M. Karunanidhi, took it to centre stage, by raising the issue with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a move which brought about a revision in the affidavit filed by the Attorney General's office in a case challenging POTA's constitutional validity. The Centre also issued an ordinance to amend POTA and empower the Central Review Committee to review all cases booked under the law.

However, the DMK upped the ante and insisted that POTA must be "withdrawn". Even before pulling out of the Centre, the party launched a protest in Chennai, demanding its repeal. Mr. Karunanidhi advised Mr. Vaiko to file a bail petition, which he eventually did to come out on conditional bail.

The Madras High Court then relaxed some of these conditions to enable Mr. Vaiko to take up a full-throated campaign. He began his campaign the moment he stepped out of Vellore prison; he is not contesting the election this time, having decided to concentrate on electioneering.

In contrast, the AIADMK not only supported POTA but also voted with the Government in Parliament. It wants the act to remain unchanged.

The State Government is serious about prosecuting POTA cases. As a poll issue, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, would rather focus on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the support that the opposition parties in the State had lent to the militant group in the past. Even though the recent split in LTTE may have placed the Tigers in the spotlight, they are unlikely to emerge as a major election issue.

The LTTE is not active in the State any longer even though it continues to "nurse" its support base here. At a time when the peace process in Sri Lanka is delicately poised, the LTTE does not want to do anything that will jeopardise its position in India, especially in Tamil Nadu. "All they want is moral support for the Tamil cause," says a Tamil Nationalist Movement member.

Mr. Karunanidhi has always argued that all political parties in Tamil Nadu, including the AIADMK, supported the LTTE at some time or the other. And that such support ceased . after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

The MDMK, for its part, sees the LTTE as being "representative of the Sri Lankan Tamils" and is convinced that there can be no lasting peace or solution without the involvement of the group. Mr. Vaiko has argued that neither he nor his party supported any militant activity on Indian soil.

Ms. Jayalalithaa can take credit for clamping down on the LTTE in the post-Rajiv assassination phase. Voted to power after the brutal killing, she cracked down on the organisation between 1991 and 1996. Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team of the CBI wrapped up its investigations and succeeded in getting those involved in the assassination convicted. Four of the prime accused, who were sentenced to death, are still waiting for a response to their mercy petition. And now, after the recent LTTE split, its erstwhile eastern commander, `Karuna', has tacitly admitted that the group was involved in the assassination.

With Mr. Vaiko's trial continuing in the Special Court and expected to be completed by June-end, the focus will remain on POTA and its "misuse". The Central Review panel on POTA is also expected to come up with its findings on the Vaiko case, even as the State Government has challenged the amendment to POTA and the powers of the review committee. These developments are expected to keep POTA in the poll limelight and the DMK alliance will do its best to exploit the sympathy that Mr. Vaiko has earned through his long detention.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News Update

Stories in this Section

Security with a human face, Advani promises Hurriyat

In Tamil Nadu, POTA politics takes centre stage

Stop telecast of slanderous advertisements: EC

VHP man to take on Rahul in Amethi

Congress appeals to SP again

NDA will get 265 seats: poll

Violence in Sri Lanka