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MDMK to challenge FIR

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI July 15. The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) will challenge in the court the first information report (FIR) filed by the Tamil Nadu police against their jailed leader, Vaiko, and other party functionaries, charging them under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).

The senior MDMK leader and Union Minister of State for Finance, Gingee Ramachandran, told the media here that a petition would be filed soon challenging the FIR which was ``baseless, irresponsible and illegal''.

Even as Mr. Vaiko was brought to Chennai briefly to cast his vote in the Presidential election, the Minister asserted that the MDMK leader, who had been remanded to custody till August 7, would not move court for bail. The MDMK would not seek the Centre's help or intervention to get Mr. Vaiko out of the POTA case.

The Minister asserted that the case against Mr. Vaiko could not be linked to the transfer of the criminal proceedings against the AIADMK general secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, for alleged foreign exchange regulation violation to civil proceedings under the Foreign Exchange Management Act.

``None from the AIADMK approached me or the Finance Minister for dropping the charges against Ms. Jayalalithaa. It is all wrong, speculative reports.''

The criminal proceedings had been dropped based on a report from the CBI which suggested that since the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act had lapsed a case could be booked under the FEMA. (A FERA case was registered against Ms. Jayalalithaa for unsourced remittance of $ 3 lakhs in her bank account.)

However, dismissing speculation that the NDA Government at the Centre had ``let down the MDMK in its hour of crisis'', the Minister said, the Centre's stand was ``satisfactory''.

Asked about the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani's statement that he would consider the Tamil Nadu Government's plea for banning the MDMK, Mr. Ramachandran insisted that he had only stated that he would ``think about it''.

There was a world of difference between ``considering'' and ``thinking''.

The NDA meeting held in Delhi had on Sunday expressed concern at the ``misuse'' of the POTA against Mr. Vaiko though the legislation had been made to deal with dreaded terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Ramachandran said.

Amendment needed, says Karunanidhi

The DMK president, M. Karunanidhi, said an amendment to the POTA to safeguard against its misuse had become ``necessary'' in the light of the recent developments.

The DMK had supported changes in the POTA at the NDA meeting, he said.

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