Row to include Nedumaran may delay Rajkumar’s release

CHENNAI, OCT 20: With Tamil National Movement leader P Nedumaran's inclusion in the new team of emissaries triggering a controversy, the t...

CHENNAI, OCT 20: With Tamil National Movement leader P Nedumaran’s inclusion in the new team of emissaries triggering a controversy, the team’s next mission to the forest to secure the release of kannada film star Dr Rajkumar from the clutches of Veerappan is likely to be delayed.

Neither Nedumaran nor Nakkeeran associate editor A Kamaraj could throw some light on the team’s next mission, which would be the sixth for R R Gopal.

While Nedumaran said nothing has been finalised, Kamaraj indicated that it was early to talk about the next mission.

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Sources said that the four members of the new team would form part of the next mission as well. They ruled out the possibility of Nedumaran, a pro-LTTE leader, dropping out from the team in view of criticisms.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Maanila Congress today said the nexus between forest brigand Veerappan and Tamil militant groups had "dangerous" overtones and would have serious repurcussions in the future.

Senior TMC leader and former Union Minister S R Balasubramaniam alleged at a press conference here that the NDA government at the Centre was keeping silent on the "disturbing tendency" as it wanted to derive political mileage out of the issue, since a Congress government was in place in Karnataka.

He demanded that the Centre direct the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments to take effective steps to secure the release of Kannada actor Rajkumar, who had been in Veerappan’s captivity for the past 80 days.

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The decision to send Tamil Nationalist Movement (TNM) leader P Nedumaran, known for his pro-LTTE leanings, as an emissary to secure Rajkumar’s release would only encourage anti-national forces in the state, he said and alleged that over 100 volunteers, who participated in the TNM conference in Madurai, had entered the forests to help Veerappan.

The Tamil Nadu government should bring out a "white paper" on efforts it had taken to secure the actor’s release, he said, adding that the Centre’s continued silence on the abduction issue was a "slur" on its face.

He said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi should not forget that his government was dismissed in 1990 only due to the LTTE links. The United Front government had lost power only because of some remarks against the DMK in the Jain Panel report, he added.