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Jayalalithaa blames it on Karnataka

By Our Tamil Nadu Bureau

CHENNAI Aug. 26. Virtually blaming Karnataka for the kidnapping of its former Minister, H. Nagappa, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today said the removal of the Karnataka Special Task Force chief, Inspector-General Kempaiah, known for his ``tough'' attitude, had emboldened the forest brigand, Veerappan, to commit the latest ``outrage.''

Talking to reporters at the Secretariat here, she said the Karnataka Government had downgraded the post of STF chief after removing Mr. Kempaiah when he was going after Veerappan. Asked if she was blaming the Karnataka Government, she said she had given the facts.

After a delegation led by the leader of the banned Tamilar Desiya Iyakkam, P. Nedumaran (now under arrest) and his associates, and another delegation of journalists had met the Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, the Karnataka Government had removed Mr. Kempaiah without citing any reason. Although she did not know what the delegations told Mr. Krishna, they seemed to have managed to bring him round to their way of thinking.

After Mr. Kempaiah's removal, the relations between the Tamil Nadu STF and the Karnataka STF were not smooth, she said.

Ms. Jayalalithaa denied that she had any further information about the kidnapping or the message sent by Veerappan. On whether the State Government planned to send emissaries, she said the situation had not arisen for that. The question was hypothetical, she added. (The last time Veerappan made demands for the release of the activists of the Tamil nationalist groups, TNLA and TNRT, the Supreme Court had intervened and stopped the release of the TADA detenus. The court had also pulled up the Karnataka Government for wanting to release the prisoners in the interest of law and order.)

Ms. Jayalalithaa, who left for New Delhi to participate in the Cauvery River Authority meeting, said she would discuss the Veerappan issue if it came up during her meeting with Mr. Krishna.

Immediately after getting information on the abduction, the Tamil Nadu STF sealed off the district borders at Thimbam, Kadambur and Bargur areas with armed STF personnel.

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