Date:26/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/26/stories/2008102654990800.htm

National

Gowda criticises Vaiko’s arrest

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: The former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, has expressed shock over the arrest of MDMK general secretary Vaiko by the Tamil Nadu police on charges of sedition.

In a statement here on Saturday, he said, “I condemn such acts of political vindictiveness which the people of India have never taken kindly to and have punished the perpetrators appropriately at the hustings. It is unfortunate that Mr. Vaiko has been targeted.”

Mr. Gowda said that one had all the reasons to believe that the action by the Tamil Nadu police had more to do with the changing political equations in the State ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

“Political vendetta”

The State police’s action “smacks of sheer political vendetta, which has no place whatsoever in a mature democracy such as ours. I hope and pray that the Tamil Nadu government will act fast and rectify this undemocratic action of its police force, release Mr. Vaiko with all honour without further delay and take stringent action against the guilty police officials.”

The former Prime Minister said Mr. Vaiko had always espoused the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils, but he had always been a patriot to the core and never uttered a word against India or its people. The target of his criticism had always been the policies pursued by the Centre on the ethnic issue in the island nation.

Mr. Gowda said several leaders belonging to different political parties and other organisations in Tamil Nadu had expressed strong views on the Tamils’ issue. Mr. Vaiko’s was one such voice. Newspapers critical of certain Tamil groups had been attacked by unruly cadres of different organisations.