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Karunanidhi poohpoohs Jayalalitha's charge of being anti-national

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today categorically denied All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham general secretary J Jayalalitha's charge that his government was anti-national and was encouraging extremist and fundamentalist forces in the state.

Addressing the media in Madras, Karunanidhi said Jayalalitha's charge was a bundle of lies and totally baseless.

Jayalalitha had made the charge at a media conference in New Delhi on Monday.

Asked about her demand for the dismissal of his government for allegedly encouraging extremist forces, the chief minister said, "I am sure BJP leader A B Vajpayee is not mad to dance to her tune. I do not expect it to happen."

Asserting that he was committed to the unity and integrity of the country, Karunanidhi said if the DMK government was dismissed, it would meet the challenge politically and legally.

The chief minister said he was certain that the people of Tamil Nadu and national leaders would not be taken in by Jayalalitha's charge, which he said was nothing but audacious. ''The thought of betraying the society and country has never even crossed my mind,'' he asserted.

Karunanidhi said he had levelled several charges against Jayalalitha when she was chief minister, but had never alleged that she was anti-national.

Asked about Jayalalitha's comment that more bombs were likely to explode in Coimbatore soon, he said this made him wonder, for the first time, whether the February 14 serial blasts at Coimbatore had any political background. "Till yesterday, I had thought that Muslim fundamentalist groups alone were responsible for the blasts. Now, it is pertinent to doubt whether some other force is behind them," he added.

He said the state government was trying to ascertain whether the Pakistani intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, had a hand in the serial blasts. "Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral had expressed the doubt, and I have also given importance to it in the probe," he added.

Karunanidhi termed as baseless Jayalalitha's allegation that checkposts in Tamil Nadu's borders were removed after the DMK came to power to enable fundamentalists to have a free run. The only checkposts to be removed were in a small part of Coimbatore in the wake of complaints about harassment of a section of the people, he said.

He asserted that the DMK regime had never failed to prevent and punish the forces trying to disrupt the unity and integrity of the country.

The recent arrest of Sundaram, founder of the extremist Tamil Nadu Liberation Army -- which was responsible for the 1987 Marudayar blast derailing the Rockfort Express and killing more than 35 people and several bank robberies and raids on police stations -- is a pointer in this regard. Sundaram had evaded the police dragnet for nearly 25 years, he added.

On Jayalalitha's defence of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazagham general secretary Vaiko -- that his party was no longer supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam -- the chief minister pointed out that a few MDMK leaders, including Pavanan, were recently arrested for helping the LTTE.

Karunanidhi recalled that in 1990, even after the assassination of Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front leader Padmanabha, Jayalalitha had given interviews to two city-based English dailies, that the then DMK regime had not rendered sufficient help to the LTTE. "She should examine her own conscience before levelling charges against me," he added.

Replying to a question, he said the DMK would abide by the United Front core committee's decision on the strategy to be followed during voting in the Lok Sabha.

The chief minister said he endorsed Tamil Maanila Congress leader G K Moopanar's decision to vote against the BJP, if that party was invited to form the government at the Centre.

Asked whether the UF was divided on the voting issue, in the context of the Telugu Desam Party led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu advocating neutrality, he said, "Our objective is to remain united despite having differences."

Asked if he thought the BJP-led coalition could provide stability at the Centre, Karunanidhi said he would be happy if the Centre had a stable government for five years.

On whether the DMK would support a Congress-led coalition in future, he said the question was hypothetical as of now.

Replying to a question, he termed as uncivilised, Jayalalitha's statement that Sonia Gandhi had no right to play any role in the country's politics. "There can be no complaint if the Congress and the country accepted her," he added.

UNI

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