Krishna confident of nabbing Veerappan

By Our Staff Reporter

THRISSUR, DEC. 3. The Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr. S.M. Krishna, said that he was confident of nabbing the sandalwood smuggler Veerappan in the operations to be launched soon by the Special Task Force (STF).

``Do you think we will deploy so many men and resources if we are not confident of nabbing him?,'' Mr. Krishna asked while replying to questions from reporters who met him in Guruvayur today.

Asked about reports that Veerappan had escaped to Sri Lanka, Mr. Krishna said, ``I don't want to speculate about such reports.''

Replying to questions as to when the STF would start operations, the Chief Minister said, ``It is up to the STF to decide. We have made it clear to them (the police) that there would be absolutely no interference from our side, that is from the political side. They can decide on whatever course they think fit to nab him.''

He disclosed that the STF would essentially consist of the forces from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and it would have back- up support from the Centre. ``I don't want to go into the details, but the Centre has assured us of all possible help to capture Veerappan.''

When asked about the factors that may have helped Veerappan to evade arrest so far, Mr. Krishna said he was evading the clutches of the law. ``The terrain (in the forest where Veerappan was hiding) was very bad, the jungle is very thick; he has mastered the terrain while we have to find our way into the jungle.''

Mr. Krishna was asked whether these factors would affect the prospects of the proposed operations of the STF? ``We have to surmount these difficulties or we have to overcome these problems. We have enough resources to achieve our objective,'' he replied.

Hooch tragedy

Replying to questions about the alleged involvement of a Karnataka Minister in the recent hooch tragedy which claimed several lives in Kerala, Mr. Krishna said, ``The Minister in my Cabinet has already denied these allegations and he has expressed his willingness to face any form of enquiry into those charges as well as to step down from the post if found guilty. What more do you expect from a public personality. Now the onus of proving those allegations lies with those who have leveled them.''

Asked whether the Karnataka Government was planning any enquiry into these allegations, Mr. Krishna said, ``Don't burden us with such tasks. As it is, Karnataka had to bear the brunt of the kidnapping of Mr. Rajkumar, though the incident occurred in Tamil Nadu. Now, the hooch tragedy occurred in Kerala. Why should we take up on ourselves the responsibility of conducting an enquiry into it.''

``Moreover, the Kerala Government has appointed an enquiry commission under a judge from the Karnataka High Court to conduct an enquiry into the hooch tragedy. Those who want the allegation against the Minister in Karnataka to be enquired, can approach the Commission,'' he suggested.

When his attention was drawn to the reports that the allegations against a member in his Cabinet were being raised as a fall-out of the groupism in the Karnataka Congress(I), the Chief Minister said, ``There is no groupism in the Karnataka Congress(I). The allegations against the Minister were being raised by the Opposition.''

Speaking about the prospects of joint monitoring by Karnataka and Kerala to prevent the inter-State illegal movement of spirit, the Chief Minister said, ``I have not applied my mind to this suggestion. But it should be noticed that inter-State movement of goods and articles are essential for trade to flourish. However, we must enforce stringent monitoring to prevent any illegal movements.''

Referring to Karnataka's achievements in the field of Information Technology (IT), Mr. Krishna said, ``The progress made by Karnataka in the IT sector was mainly because of the focussed and sustained efforts of the private sector, and not on account of any Governmental intervention. I would even say the IT sector in Karnataka grew not because of the Government, but in spite of the Government. There are certain sectors which will grow themselves, if they are left alone.''

Mr. Krishna had earlier visited the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple along with his wife, Ms. Prema Krishna and daughter, Ms. Malavika.

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