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Government doing all to contain fundamentalism, says Karunanidhi

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today dismissed as "false", All India Anna DMK general secretary J Jayalalitha's charge that the state government was not keen on containing extremism in the state.

Reacting to Jayalalitha's statement that the Centre should take necessary steps to contain extremism in the state, Karunanidhi told newsmen that the state government was taking firm steps to put down extremism and contain the activities of extremists.

Many extremists and fundamentalists have been arrested, some of them under the National Security Act following a massive drive by the police after the February 14 serial bomb blasts in Coimbatore, which claimed more than 60 lives.

In its continuing effort, the police had issued advertisements in leading dailies, announcing a reward of Rs 200,000 each to anyone providing information leading to the arrest of 17 fundamentalists, wanted in connection with the serial blasts. The photographs of the fundamentalists have also been released, he pointed out.

When the government was taking all these steps, it was ridiculous on Jayalalitha's part to state that the government was not evincing interest in curbing extremism, he said.

Asked about Hindu Munnani leader Ramagopalan's apprehension that bomb blasts would take place in about 100 places in the state, Karunanidhi said the government would not like to neglect such warnings. "The government will carefully act on such warnings whoever issues them", he added.

Referring to the suspicion that some political parties were behind the serial blasts in Coimbatore, he said since the discussion on the white paper on the issue was slated to be taken up on Monday in the state assembly, he did not want to make any comments in this regard.

As stated in the white paper, a new legislation to completely neutralise the extremists would be brought in during the current session of the state assembly, he said.

On the constitution of a special court to try the cases relating to the Coimbatore blasts, he said the director general of police had sent a proposal to the Madras high court on this count, and the government was awaiting the court's reply. Soon after the court gave its consent, the special court would be constituted to try the cases pursued by the special investigation team of the Crime Branch, CID, police, headed by the inspector general of police, he clarified.

UNI

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