Ramamurthy wants CM to rein in PMK

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, APRIL 10. Dealing another blow to the NDA in Tamil Nadu, the TRC leader, Mr. Vazhapadi K. Ramamurthy, today urged the NDA leader and Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, to initiate stern action against the PMK cadres who had allegedly unleashed violence against the functionaries of the TRC and some Vanniyar outfits in the State.

Despite the PMK leadership's announcement that the party would not issue any statement or hold any agitation condemning the TRC, the PMK functionaries were making inflammatory speeches and the partymen were resorting to violent attacks on their opponents, Mr. Ramamurthy told the media here. Audio tapes of PMK functionaries' speeches at public meetings had been sent to the Chief Minister for further action, the TRC leader said and hastened to warn that the NDA image would be badly dented if the PMK ``excesses'' continued unchecked.

Even while thanking the Chief Minister for promising impartial action on the complaints against the PMK cadres, the TRC leader charged that the police ``was complacent, possibly because the complaints were against an ally of the Government.''

Kicking off the next bout of confrontation with the PMK, Mr. Ramamurthy alleged that a group armed with deadly weapons barged into a book binding unit in Royapettah in Chennai on April 7 and ``looted'' 25,000 copies of a book against Dr. Ramadoss, titled, ``Dr.Ayyavukku oru thirandha madal''. A police complaint had been filed and no action had been taken yet, he added.

In another incident on April 5, a former president of Vanniyar Sangam, Mr. R. Viswanathan, was beaten up near Injambakkam in Kancheepuram district and the car in which he was travelling was set ablaze, he alleged.

Also, when the TRC leader was proceeding to a party meeting in Dharmapuri, black flags were shown and stones pelted in which one of the TRC functionaries suffered head injuries, he claimed. In Cuddolare recently, TRC flagposts were uprooted. ``But the police have no courage to take action against the culprits,'' he added. Mr. Ramamurthy also charged that the PMK leader was roping in cadres and functionaries from the TRC, ``which only smacks of political indecency.'' ``If he understands only this language, we will speak so''. In a tit for tat, the TRC would enrol cadres of the PMK from April 17 in all the districts.

Asked if he would demand the dumping of PMK from the NDA, Mr. Ramamurthy said he would make no such demands. He only wanted stringent action against the PMK cadres who resorted to violence against the critics of their party leadership.

On whether he would attend the proposed meeting of the Joint Action Committee of the Vanniyar leaders on April 15 in Chennai, purportedly to take on the PMK leadership, Mr. Ramamurthy shot back: ``What is wrong in my participating in the meeting.''

Meanwhile, another Vanniyar outfit leader, Dr. A.K. Natarjan of the Vanniyar Sangam which is opposed to Dr. Ramadoss, today threatened to move the Court if the Chief Minister failed to take action against the PMK men who, he said, were resorting to violence against their opponents. Alleging that no action had been initiated against the gang that attacked his office last December and in the other attacks on Vanniyar leaders, he demanded that the Chief Minister explain the action taken against the culprits in the incidents.

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