Not averse to ban on TNLA, TNRT: CM

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, DEC. 4. After the recent warning to the pro-LTTE Tamil outfits in the State against stretching their rhetoric ``beyond limits,'' the DMK president and Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, today said the Government was not averse to banning the TNLA and the TNRT.

Though in number TNLA and TNRT cadres were ``just handful,'' Mr. Karunanidhi told reporters here after a meeting of the party district secretaries and Ministers that, ``if necessary, we will recommend to the Centre to ban these two outfits.'' While Mr. Karunanidhi declined to comment on the reported Centre's thinking to sternly deal with the LTTE- sympathising extremist groups, in the context of they teaming up with the forest brigand Veerappan, who had kidnapped Kannada actor Rajkumar, he merely said he was aware of these reports in the newspapers.

The Chief Minister reiterated that there was no change in the DMK's policy of having lost all sympathy for the LTTE, against whom the ban had been extended on the `advice' of the State. ``That may be Mr.Vaiko's view,'' he shot back on the MDMK chief again asking for lifting the ban on the LTTE.

On the Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) during its Sri Lanka visit not raising the issue of extradition of the LTTE leader, Mr. V. Prabkaharan, wanted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, and which contradicted the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani's statement in Parliament in this regard, he said, ``only the Centre will have to clarify this.''

Stating that today's meeting, in which DMK's election panel members also participated, did not discuss the alliance issue in the context of the coming Assembly polls, Mr. Karunanidhi parried queries on the renewed PMK-DMK war of words. Only the DMK's Executive or General Council will discuss the alliance issue, he emphasised. The Chief Minister said he would like the PMK to remain with the NDA in the State. However, he declined to join issue with the PMK leader, Dr. Ramadoss, who had asked even two days back whether the DMK could win without the PMK's help.

Also unwilling to respond to Dr. Ramadoss naming a candidate for the Andimadam seat for the coming Assembly polls even when no talks on seats-sharing had begun, Mr. Karunanidhi said, ``if need be'' he would reply to the PMK leader's repeated charge that the Government took no action against the ``continuing attacks'' by the Dalit Panthers led by

Thirumavalavan. Even as the meeting discussed the electoral rolls revision and issue of voters photo identity cards, Mr. Karunanidhi said complaints in this regard by Opposition parties like the AIADMK against the DMK was to ``cover up their own (opposition) misdeeds''.

Citing an instance in Coimbatore on alleged attempt to remove the names of the DMK MLA, Mr. C.T. Dhandapani, and of his family members from the electoral rolls, he said it was ``noticed in time'' by DMK men and things rectified.

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Section  : Southern States
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