TN CM accuses DMK of enacting 'drama' in Rajiv case convicts' release eyeing sympathy

Chief Minister K Palaniswami onThursday accused the DMK of enacting a 'political drama' onthe issue of release of seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhiassassination case with an eye on coming assembly elections.

He also questioned why the DMK while in power in 2000 hadrecommended commuting the death sentence of Nalini Sriharanalone and rejected the mercy petitions of three others.

The main opposition party was ''performing the drama'' nowto gain the sympathy of the people in elections, due in a fewmonths, by creating a perception that it was taking all-outefforts to get the seven life convicts released, he told thestate assembly.

However, the AIADMK wanted their release and steps hadbeen taken for it. The government was truly committed tofacilitate their release, he asserted.

''I expect that the Governor would soon take a gooddecision in the matter (on the Tamil Nadu Cabinet's 2018recommendation to release all the seven convicts),'' he saidduring the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor'sAddress to the assembly.

Intervening during ruling AIADMK MLA V Panneerselvam'sspeech, that had references to the DMK, Palaniswami traced thechronology of events in the case related to the assassinationof former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi at nearby Sriperumbudurin May, 1991.

He said that on April 19, 2000 a Cabinet meeting of thethen DMK government recommended to then Governor Fathima Beevito commute the death sentence of Nalini Sriharan alone to lifeimprisonment out of the total four people whose capitalpunishment was upheld by the Supreme Court.

The DMK government had recommended rejection of the mercypetition of three others -- Sriharan alias Murugan, Santhanand A G Perarivalan, he said, adding the Governor approved it.

Though the DMK issued statements for their release now,there was no answer from it till date on why its governmentdid not recommend commutation of the death sentences ofSriharan, Santhan and Perarivalan, Palaniswami said.

''When this is the truth,'' the leader of the opposition inthe assembly (DMK chief M K Stalin) staged a walkout from theHouse on Tuesday opposing the Governor's address and urgingthe release of seven convicts, he said.

Hiding the truth in the matter, Stalin has giveninterview to the press, he said, adding ''the DMK is enacting apolitical drama today on the issue'' and the people werewatching the events.

Detailing the steps taken by the AIADMK government, thechief minister said not stopping with the Cabinetrecommendation, he himself has taken it up with GovernorBanwarilal Purohit to expeditiously take a decision on theirrelease.

On January 29 too he called on Purohit and reiterated therequest, Palaniswami said.

Recalling past events, he said that after rejection oftheir petitions by the governor based on the DMK government'srecommendation, Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan had submittedmercy pleas to the then President in the same year. The pleaswere rejected in 2011.

Though then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa got aresolution passed in the assembly seeking reconsideration oftheir petitions, the then Congress-led government did not takeany action.

Also, the DMK, which was part of the Central governmentthen, did not exert pressure on the union government on thematter.

Eventually, the Supreme Court commuted the trio's deathsentences to life imprisonment and following that 'Amma'(Jayalalithaa) decided in February 2014 to release all theseven convicts and sought the Centre's view as per law.

The then UPA government, led by the Congress went to theSupreme Court opposing Tamil Nadu government's move.

''The Congress which was in power then at the Centre andthe DMK which was offering issue based outside support to thegovernment could have helped for their release during thatpoint in time at the least,'' he said.

Referring to the subsequent progress of the matter in theapex court and a Cabinet decision of his government onSeptember 9, 2018 recommending to the Governor to release allthe seven convicts, he asserted the past events demonstratedthat the AIADMK government alone took ''swift measures'' fortheir release.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21,1991 by a woman suicide bomber at an election rally. Besidesthe woman, thirteen others were also killed in the incident.

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