Saturday, Apr 13, 2002
Saturday, Apr 13, 2002 |
| Southern States | ||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Southern States
-
Tamil Nadu
By Our Special Correspondent
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat here, she said the LTTE was already a banned organisation and those who backed it should take her statement as a ``stern warning.'' When reporters pointed out that the MDMK, one of the staunch supporters of the LTTE, was part of the Union Ministry, Ms. Jayalalithaa said any backing for the outfit would be an ``anti-national act'' and treason. Those who wilfully supported it should be dealt with under the provisions of the POTA. ``That is what POTA is for!'' On April 16, the Government would move a resolution in the Assembly urging the Centre not to allow any quarter to the LTTE in the country, she said, and expressed the hope that it would be passed unanimously. No party opposed the move when she announced it in the House, she pointed out. It was ``undesirable'' to let the LTTE gain even a foothold in India. The State had already written to the Centre asking for a two-year extension of the ban, which is due to expire on May 13 this year. The LTTE, she said, had given up neither the demand for Eelam nor armed struggle. Asked whether she was not afraid of incurring the wrath of the LTTE for her tough stand, Ms. Jayalalithaa said she knew no fear, and there was nothing to fear. (Anchuvathu yathondrum illai; anchavaruvathum illai.) She would do her duty. She had already been given adequate security. While admitting that the AIADMK, like other political parties, supported the LTTE prior to 1991, she said her party was consistent in its opposition to the outfit after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi on May 21, 1991. ``We are opposed to terrorism in any form''. Asked about her talks with Sri Lankan leaders, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Lakshman Kadirgamar, during their visits to Chennai, she said these were courtesy calls. ``But when politicians meet, they do not just discuss the weather''. Earlier, the TMC leader, S. R. Balasubramaniam, raising the issue in the Assembly, said Mr. Prabakaran had not denied involvement in Rajiv Gandhi assassination but merely described it as a ``tragic incident.'' India should invoke the extradition treaty with Sri Lanka to make Mr. Prabakaran stand trial. Replying to the points raised by Mr. Balasubramaniam, the Chief Minister said it was proved beyond doubt that the LTTE was responsible for the assassination. Mr. Prabakaran, she said, was declared a proclaimed offender by a designated court. He was the leader of a terrorist organisation. ``It is not acceptable that he moves about freely in Sri Lanka, and portrays himself as the leader of a people's movement.'' Tamil Nadu, which was now a garden of peace, could not allow terrorist organisations such as the LTTE to set foot on its soil. She had already opposed an LTTE request for holding talks with the Sri Lankan Government in Chennai. ``It is our hope that the Centre would not adopt different yardsticks in its attitude to the activities of the Sri Lanka-based LTTE and the activities of the Pakistan-based terrorist groups,'' she said.
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | Home |
Copyright © 2002, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|