'Veerappan has not made new demands'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, AUG. 23. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, today said the forest brigand Veerappan, with whom the Government emissary, Mr. R. R. Gopal, was negotiating the release of the Kannada actor and three others, had not made any fresh demand.

Only the earlier demands and the responses to them was being discussed by Mr. Gopal, he told reporters here.

The emissary undertaking a third mission to the forest would hinge on the ``message he brings'', said the Chief Minister in reply to a question.

On the AIADMK general secretary, Ms. Jayalalitha, opposing the release of the five Tamil militants saying it would set a bad precedent, Mr. Karunanidhi counter-posed, ``what can I say if persons like Ms. Jayalalitha do not give primacy to the safe release of Mr. Rajkumar.''

It not only concerned Mr. Rajkumar's safety, but was also tied to the livelihood of a large number of Tamils in Karnataka, Kannadigas in Tamil Nadu and the need for mutual harmony between the Tamils and the Kannada-speaking people, reasoned Mr. Karunanidhi.

Parrying a query on why the Government had failed to be vigilant after Veerappan's links with the TNLA extremists became clear during the attack on the Vellithiruppur police station two years back, Mr. Karunanidhi said this was not the time to respond to such criticisms. On a report that Mr. Rajkumar's fans from Mandya district had threatened to enter the forest and rescue the actor, Mr. Karunanidhi said he read about it in the newspapers.

The crisis could be resolved soon if the media exercised restraint and avoided speculative reports, he said.

(Mr. R. R. Gopal, journalist-emissary, holding talks with Veerappan on his current second mission to the forest.)

- Photo courtesy: Nakkeeran

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