Congress reiterates stand on LTTE

NEW DELHI: Asserting that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which was behind the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, was a banned outfit in India, the Congress on Monday distanced itself from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi mourning the LTTE leader Thamilchelvan.

“We will not support eulogising of terrorism in any form and we will not forget the actions perpetrated by the LTTE,” Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan told journalists here.

Responding to questions on the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) leader expressing grief over the death of the LTTE’s “political division” chief in an attack by the Sri Lanka Air Force last week, Ms. Natarajan said: “It was Mr. Karunanidhi’s personal view and we do not subscribe to it.”

When questioners persisted with the party’s stand on the action of their alliance partner, Ms. Natarajan said there was no meeting point on this issue.

“We continue to call for the punishment of the perpetrators of the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. We have our views and we stand by our views,” she said.

To a question on whether the Chief Minister, who held a constitutional post, could praise someone from a banned organisation, she said she had no comment.

Source: The Hindu

http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/06/stories/2007110662201400.htm