Mani in jail, envoy wants to go it alone

In a message to be recorded tomorrow for airing through All India Radio, Mahadevaswamy will tell Veerappan that he would come with Mani only after legal problems relating to cases against the Tamil activist are resolved. He will appeal to Veerappan to release Nagappa in the meantime on humanitarian grounds, Srinivasulu said. He is also expected to explain the legal hurdles in sending Mani, officials said.

Mahadevaswamy held a meeting with Srinivasulu, Karnataka DGP Madiyal and Nagappa’s son Preetam and son-in-law Kiran Patil. Before the discussions, he also met Chief Minister S.M. Krishna at his residence. Emerging out of the meeting, Mahadevaswamy declined to give details, saying he had conveyed his decision to the DGP.

As the eight-day deadline set by Veerappan to send Mahadevaswamy and Mani as emissaries ended yesterday, the state government has intensified efforts to end the 52-day hostage crisis.

Karnataka Home Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said the government was willing to send Mahadevaswamy as emissary and facilitate his solo mission to the forests. ‘‘We are trying to send a message through Mahadevaswamy so that he realises that the government is responsive to his request (to send emissaries),’’ Kharge said.

Kharge said Krishna yesterday spoke to Defence Minister George Fernandes and requested him to use his resources and speak to Tamil leaders to find an end to the hostage crisis.

Breaking his nearly month-long silence after the kidnapping on August 25, Veerappan sent a cassette to Nagappa’s family on October 6, demanding emissaries of his choice — Mani and Mahadevaswamy — to negotiate.

Governor T.N. Chaturvedi said in Mysore that Krishna was doing his best to end the crisis and there was no need for him to send any report to the Centre.