The Hindu : Front Page : Karunanidhi slams Ramadoss on Sri Lankan Tamils issue

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Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009
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Karunanidhi slams Ramadoss on Sri Lankan Tamils issue

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Launching a frontal attack on the Pattali Makkal Katchi, Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi on Monday said that the constituents of the Tamizhar Padukappu Iyakkam no longer spoke of the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

“People like Dr.Ramadoss [PMK founder] had taken a stand to show that they were more militant than the DMK on the Sri Lankan issue and had issued a statement in the morning and another in the evening,” Mr. Karunanidhi said. “In the recent past, these people have not spoken about Mullaitheevu or Vavuniya or Killinochi. Their only problem now is who will get the Tirunelveli constituency. Who will be given Tiruchi? Who will contest from Chidambaram? Will be it Arani or Tiruvannamalai or both? Will we also get the Rajya Sabha? It is about these that the Chera, Chola, Pandiya warriors are conducting research day and night and running around,” he said.

When the PMK was busy cutting its deals, it also accused the DMK of washing its hands of the Sri Lankan Tamils issue. Once in a while the Congress came in for severe condemnation from them, he said.

Mr.Karunanidhi suggested that these people, who were keenly interested in the welfare of the Tamils and who had stated that there was nothing wrong in sending the Army to save the Tamils, could lead from the front and cross over illegally to protect Tamils.

He suggested that they also take AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa. But they had to make sure that their leader did not end up arresting LTTE chief Prabakaran, based on a 2002 Assembly resolution that she had passed.

The Chief Minister condemned the propaganda that the State government was arresting anyone who spoke in support of Sri Lankan Tamils on a public platform and asserted that no one was arrested in the name of speaking against sovereignty. At best, it may be one of the reasons for them to be arrested.

He pointed out that some had stated on a public platform that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was given the death sentence and had spoken about Congress president Sonia Gandhi in derogatory terms.

In a statement, Mr.Karunanidhi said that people would have read the speeches of these people and drawn their own conclusions.

He noted that many in the field of arts had love for Tamils and also for the country.

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