The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : “Government acting selectively against political leaders”

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 16, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

“Government acting selectively against political leaders”

Special Correspondent

Jayalalithaa refers to the arrest of Vaiko and Nedumaran

— Photo: S. S. Kumar

WELCOMING them INTO FOLD: AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa with cadres from other parties who joined the AIADMK in her presence at the party headquarters in Chennai on Thursday.

CHENNAI: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa condemned the Tamil Nadu Government for acting “selectively against certain political leaders,” when it came to the issue of extending support to the banned terrorist organisation, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

“Why should the Tamil Nadu Government selectively apply the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act? It was a clear case of gross misuse of Government machinery by the Tamil Nadu Government and I strongly feel that Chief Minister Karunanidhi should have been arrested for supporting the LTTE,” Ms. Jayalalithaa told a press conference here on Thursday.

Ms. Jayalalithaa was responding to queries on the AIADMK party’s stand on the arrest of MDMK leader Vaiko and Pazha Nedumaran of Tamil Nationalist Movement.

Elaborating further, Ms. Jayalalithaa questioned Mr. Karunanidhi issuing a condolence message by misusing the Government machinery following the death of an LTTE leader.

On talks of early elections, the former Chief Minister said time was not ripe enough to talk about polarisation of political parties. “I can only say at this moment that the general elections would come soon” and she would offer her comments on the political polarisation only at the time of elections.

When asked whether there was any political significance to her visit to the hospital in Madurai calling on TNCC president M. Krishnasswamy, who was attacked recently, Ms. Jayalalithaa said it was only a humanitarian gesture. “Mr. Krishnasswamy is a very good friend of mine and I have even had alliance with the Congress party.”

On law and order

Ms. Jayalalithaa said the law and order in the State had been steadily deteriorating under the minority DMK Government. “The situation has now gone from bad to worse,” she said, adding that in the recent past there had been several incidents of “lunatics” entering her Poes Garden residence.

When asked about the AIADMK’s stand on the violence in Nandigram in West Bengal, the former Chief Minister said it was a cause for serious concern.

“The violent situation should be closely monitored by the Central Government and if required, the Centre should interfere in controlling the violence…”

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