The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Remarks on Sonia `mischievous':Elangovan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 13, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Remarks on Sonia `mischievous':Elangovan

By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM, DEC. 12. The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Uma Bharti's allegation that there was a "conspiracy" behind the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi's silence on the arrest of the Kanchi Sankaracharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, was "highly mischievous," the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industries E.V.K.S. Elangovan, has said.

He wanted to know whether Ms. Bharti's remarks were made on her own or at the instigation of the BJP. "No one knows to which political party she now belongs. The party to which she once belonged has rejected her. And she has chosen Tamil Nadu to spread canards against Sonia Gandhi," Mr. Elangovan said adding that the Congress would be forced to take action against her if she continued to make such "unjust" remarks.

When the Centre had explained that it did not have any role to play in the Kanchi Acharya's arrest, the BJP was persistently trying to "link" the party with it for "cheap political gains," he said. While he was not prepared to go into the merits or demerits of the Acharya's arrest, the manner in which he was arrested was not proper.

Tahsildar killing

Asked about the recent killing of a deputy tahsildar at Kancheepuram by the sand mafia, Mr. Elangovan said that it was the responsibility of the State Government to give protection to its employees while discharging their duties.

Welcoming the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa's gesture of providing Rs. 5 lakhs compensation to the official's family, the Minister, however, sought to know why compensation was not paid to the families of those who were killed by the forest brigand, Veerappan, and the Special Task Force.

On Value Added Tax, he said that most of the States had accepted it. The Centre was not averse to any healthy suggestions on VAT and amendments, if any, could also be incorporated before its implementation.

He hoped the party elections in the State could be held democratically from the village level.

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