Need to discuss with PM: Karunanidhi

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JULY 15. The DMK president and former Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, who leads the NDA in Tamil Nadu, today said that he was not personally averse to the PMK entry into the alliance, but will have to first discuss the issue with the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee and the other DMK allies here.

``Mr. Vajpayee is busy with the Agra summit and only after that, I can speak to him about the PMK's desire to rejoin the NDA,'' Mr. Karunanidhi told reporters at `Anna Arivalayam', the DMK headquarters here, responding to several queries on the PMK's decision after it had recently quit the AIADMK-led secular front.

In particular, Mr. Karunanidhi emphasised that he would also have to discuss the issue with other partners in the State, including the DPI's organiser, Mr. R. Thirumavalavan, adding, ``I cannot say anything definitive or final about it now.''

Welcoming the PMK's general council resolution yesterday at Thailapuram urging the Centre to intervene and initiate action against the police officials who allegedly `tortured' Mr. Karunanidhi while arresting him on June 30, the DMK leader said on behalf of both his party and votaries of human rights, he was ``extremely thankful'' to the PMK's gesture.

Coming down heavily on the AIADMK Government's directive to cable TV operators in each district to compulsorily screen the `police version' of the video pertaining to his arrest six times a day, Mr. Karunanidhi asked why the Communist parties were keeping quiet at such `blatant acts of injustice'.

Wondering whether it was the job of the Collectors to issue instructions to cable TV operators in this regard when they should be concentrating on development programmes for the people, Mr. Karunanidhi alleged that this was being ``deliberately done to weaken our case.''

When the issue has already been ``pre-judged'' by the AIADMK Government and the Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalithaa, the DMK lost faith in the Justice Raman Commission probe, though his party had nothing against the judge, he said.

Asking whether the repeated screening of the police video would not lead to law and order problems, Mr. Karunanidhi, to a query, said, ``to put it in MGR's words, people will take note of such atrocious acts.''

On Ms. Jayalalithaa's yesterday statement that there was no provision in the law for the Centre to issue a `warning' to States, Mr. Karunanidhi said this seemed to be an `after- thought'. If the Chief Minister thought that Centre had no such powers, ``then why did she reply to their communication?'' he posed. The AIADMK also sought the use of Article 356 to dismiss the DMK Government in 1998, he said.

``Whether the Centre sends out a warning or not, the people of Tamil Nadu will soon give a warning, when tax-payers money was being used for circulating the police video on the arrest incidents,'' said Mr. Karunanidhi.

Regarding Ms. Jayalalithaa's opinion that the Indo-Pak Agra summit was an ``exercise in futility'', he said it was not proper to make such comments even when the event was on.

Petition to CEC

Meanwhile, the DMK MP, Mr. C. Kuppusami, today petitioned the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), drawing his attention to the recent transfer by the AIADMK Government of two officers, Mrs. Jaya and Mr. Santhanam, who were returning officers for the Andipatti and Bhuvanagiri Assembly constituencies respectively, from where Ms. Jayalalithaa's nomination papers for the May Assembly poll were rejected.

The CEC should intervene to ensure `confidence' in officers who attend to election work in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Kuppusamy said.

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