Southern States - Tamil Nadu

`Intelligence not monitoring Sonia'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI April 18. The Tamil Nadu Government today denied that its intelligence wing was monitoring the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi.

The allegations made by the TNCC president, E.V.K.S. Elangovan were ``without any basis'' and could have only been the product of a ``fertile imagination'' the PWD Minister, O. Paneerselvam, said in a statement here.

Condemning the TNCC president for levelling such charges, Mr. Paneerselvam asserted that the State intelligence had neither in the past or now, monitored Ms. Gandhi. The State intelligence personnel were present in different States and, after procuring intelligence from various sources, supplied information to the Government.

Elangovan unconvinced

Reacting to the statement, Mr. Elangovan wondered why Mr.Paneerselvam took so long to respond, when he had levelled the charge on April 12. Elaborating, he pointed out the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, intervening in an Assembly debate on April 11 said she had information that the Union Industries Minister, Murasoli Maran, had met Ms. Gandhi secretly.

Narrating the sequence of events in the Assembly, Mr. Elangovan said that in response to a statement from the DMK leader, Durai Murugan, the Chief Minister went on to say the Government had the intelligence department with it.

``What does this mean,'' Mr. Elangovan asked and said it was clear that she used the intelligence wing to gain knowledge about the Maran-Sonia Gandhi meeting.

Mr. Elangovan advised Mr.Paneerselvam that instead of giving explanations, he seek one from Ms. Jayalalithaa.

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