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Karunanidhi accuses Centre of succumbing to 'mindless pressure' on ATR

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M Karunanidhi has charged the Centre with committing a "major fraud" in its Action Taken Report on the Jain Commission's final report by clubbing his name along with 21 suspects in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination conspiracy.

Karunanidhi who, according to the ATR, would have to face a probe by the multidisciplinary monitoring agency of the Central Bureau of Investigation, released a lengthy statement on the issue at Anna Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters in Madras.

He criticised the Centre for resorting to "fraudulent manipulation and wanton mischief" to malign him and the DMK under "mindless pressure" from the All India Anna DMK led by former chief minister J Jayalalitha.

Karunanidhi said he had only pity for "the tall BJP leaders who once claimed to have stood for some principles. They have to stoop to this level because of the bad company they keep," he added.

Asked if the DMK would resort to legal action in this connection, former Union minister and DMK parliamentary party wing leader Murasoli Maran, who was also present, asserted: "We will face the situation politically, and if necessary, legally."

Karunanidhi pointed out that when the final report referred to him by name it had innocuously mentioned that the SIT had not interrogated Chandra Swami, T N Seshan, former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, Dr Subramanian Swamy and Jayalalitha.

"In continuation, the final report has added that I was also not interrogated. The ATR has mischievously scooped out only this statement out of context and uses it to malign me. This is reprehensible," he added.

The final report had mentioned that his interrogation in many matters was "quite relevant". This referred to his deposition before the Commission, he said, recalling that he had been examined and cross-examined in public for more than five days.

Maran challenged the Centre to point out whether the final report referred to "misgivings" on Karunanidhi's part as alleged by the ATR.

Referring to the ATR's contention that he had been indicted in the Commission's interim report, Karunanidhi asserted that the final report was unequivocal that there was no indictment against any individual in the interim report.

He also demanded an explanation from the Centre on why the ATR remitted the names of only two persons, including himself, to the CBI's multidisciplinary monitoring agency, as against the list of 21 suspects given by the final report.

Karunanidhi said it was ridiculous to select former minister and DMK legislator Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan for the MDMA probe as she had already been found not guilty of the same allegation and acquitted by the TADA court.

He said the ATR made it clear that it did not want to go into the issue of confusion in the security arrangements goes by a snag in Rajiv Gandhi's aircraft at Visakhapatnam, because the Verma Commission report on the failure of security arrangements had been placed before Parliament on December 23, 1992.

"The ATR has adopted different standards in my case, though the interim report had been placed before Parliament on November 11 last year," he said, adding, "this is nothing but manipulative politics and dissimulation, to say the least."

Karunanidhi said an observation and a serious indictment needed to be differentiated. In a similar context, the final report had exonerated another person who had links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, making out a difference between supporting LTTE and its leader Prabakaran and participating in the conspiracy, he pointed out.

If one goes by the present test, the Kapur Commission into Mahatma Gandhi's assassination should have traced events since the birth of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Hindu Mahasabha, he added.

UNI

EARLIER REPORTS:
Karunanidhi warns of dire consquence if he's sacked
Jaya calls for Karunanidhi's resignation, yet again

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