Charges over LTTE: Karunanidhi unhappy

After Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi expressed his displeasure over the Congress' charge on the LTTE issue, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President M Krishnasamy yesterday denied having charged the DMK Government with giving a free hand to the proscribed outfit in the State.

Reacting to Mr Karunanidhi's remarks that he was ready to face elections, if the Congress tried to topple his Government, levelling false charges, the TNCC President said the leaders who addressed a party meeting at Nagercoil never said "Tamil Nadu has become a hunting ground for the LTTE or Mr Karunanidhi has given a free hand to the banned outfit to operate in the State."

In a statement here, Mr Krishnasamy said that in the Nagercoil meeting, Union Ministers P Chidambaram and E V K S Elangovan and himself had only demanded that the DMK Government take action against those who expressed support to the LTTE.

He said the Chief Minister, in his reaction, had given details of the arrest of LTTE militants and their supporters and the cases filed against them and the Congress was happy about it. "The Congress wholeheartedly welcomes these actions," he said.

He said that in his recent letter to the Chief Minister also, he had only demanded action against those who organised meetings and conferences in support of the LTTE.

Karunanidhi, while addressing a marriage function here yesterday, had taken serious exception to the Congress' charge and offered to renounce power if the alliance party tried to topple his Government on this false charge.