The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Monitor activities of pro-LTTE Sri Lankan MPs: Yasodha

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Monitor activities of pro-LTTE Sri Lankan MPs: Yasodha

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Congress Deputy Leader in the Assembly D. Yasodha on Friday asked the Centre and the State government to monitor the activities of pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Sri Lankan Members of Parliament in the State.

Participating in the debate on the Governor’s address, Ms. Yasodha said that these MPs were camping in Tamil Nadu and trying to create confusion.

They were trying to make the Centre appear guilty on the issue, levelling unnecessary charges against the State government and isolating the Congress.

Noting that the Congress had lost its leader Rajiv Gandhi on the issue, she wondered how it was fair to humiliate deceased leaders and Tamils living here. She recalled that when she was an MLA in the 1980s, Rs.4 crore was given to the Sri Lankan Tamils [after a resolution in the Assembly]. This could not have been possible without the permission of Rajiv Gandhi [who was the then Prime Minister]. Even now, it was only with the financial support of the Central and State governments that the refugee camps were being run.

When Pattali Makkal Katchi leader G.K. Mani condoled the death of Muthukumaran, who immolated himself on Thursday to protest against the killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka, Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan said such acts should not be encouraged.

Mr Mani replied that his party founder S. Ramadoss had made such an appeal to the youth.

Pointing out that Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka governments were developing the sectors of agriculture and irrigation in a big way, the PMK leader said there was no such plan by the State government. Instead, only freebies were being offered. The Governor’s address was disappointing.

R. Viswanathan (AIADMK) alleged that the Election Commission ordering the transfer of police officers in the run-up to the Thirumangalam by-election pointed to irregularities. Public Works and Law Minister Durai Murugan denied the charge and said such transfers were nothing new.

When the AIADMK was in power, a police commissioner was transferred.

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