Chennai: At a time when the demand for release of all the seven life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case gained momentum, Congress Lok Sabha member Karti Chidambaram today opposed the alleged ‘hero worship’ to them.
In a tweet in Tamil, tagging his interview to a private Tamil TV channel, Karti sought to know why none were talking about those who were killed along with the former Prime Minister during an election rally at Sripeumbudur in May 1991.
Karti, who was elected to Lok Sabha from Sivaganga constituency, referring to the convicts said don’t make them heroes and sought to know why none were talking about those who were killed along with Rajiv Gandhi.
In the interview, he referred to the pro-Tamil outfits supporting the release of the convicts and said they had not spoken about the other victims.
It may be noted that barring Congress, almost all political parties, including ruling AIADMK and the Opposition DMK, were demanding the release of all the seven convicts, who had been in jail for nearly three decades.
A few days PMK Founder Dr S Ramadoss, citing the CBI’s submissions, urged Tamilnadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit to take an early decision on their release based on the State Cabinet resolution recommending their release in September 2018, under Article 161 of the Constitution.
DMK president M K Stalin also met the Governor and submitted a petition seeking their release on Tuesday last.
In the plea, he said the DMK has been continuously demanding the release of seven convicts–Nalini, V Sriharan alias Murugan, Santhan, A G Perarivalan, Jayakumar, Robert Pyas and P.Ravichandran–who were undergoing the long endless agony of imprisonment for about 30 years.
Later, talking to reporters after meeting the Governor, the DMK Chief said he was satsified with the reply given by him.
Welcoming the CBI’s stand that A G Perarivalan, one of the seven life convicts in the case, has nothing to do witbh the MDMA probe, Dr Ramadoss urged the Governor to expedite the release of the convicts.
“Since CBI itself has informed that there is no link between the MDMA probe and Perarivalan’s release, the Governor, without delaying citing frivolous reasons, should take an expeditious decision on the release of the seven convicts,” he said.
In its 24-page affidavit filed before the Apex Court, the CBI said it was entirely left to Purohit to decide on releasing Perarivalan.
“It is for the office of His Excellency Governor of Tamilnadu to take a call on the issue of whether remission is to be granted…So far as relief in the present matter is concerned, CBI has no role,” it said.
The CBI said Perarivalan is “not the subject matter of the further investigation carried out by the MDMA”.
Taking a divergent stand, TNCC president K S Alagiri said political parties demanding the release of all the seven convicts was unacceptable and that he has no issue if they were released by the Court.