Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and the DMK are behaving as though Perarivalan and the six others convicted in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case were innocent persons and had achieved something, Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai charged on Thursday.
Mr. Annamalai wondered whether Mr. Stalin, who had taken oath under the Constitution, would be able to protect the people of the State, as he had gone to the airport “to receive Perarivalan” [Mr Stalin was travelling to Coimbatore] and none of the statements by the DMK had even used the term ‘convicts’ to refer to the seven persons.
“Nowhere in the Supreme Court judgment has it been mentioned that these people are innocent. The BJP accepts the judgment [on Perarivalan’s release] but these seven are murderers,” he said. “They are not someone who have to be celebrated like the DMK is doing,” he added. Pointing out that the Supreme Court had mentioned that it was using its extraordinary powers in this case, he said 15 others, including eight police personnel, had lost their lives during the assassination and asked whether justice was being served to them.
‘Not celebrating’
When asked about AIADMK co-coordinator and leader of the opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami, too, meeting Perarivalan, Mr. Annamalai claimed the difference was that unlike the DMK, the AIADMK was not celebrating. He further questioned the Congress over the continuation of its alliance with the DMK after the verdict and the way the DMK was projecting Perarivalan’s release. “On the one hand, you [Congress cadre] go and protest covering your mouth for one hour. After that, you go and wait for a Rajya Sabha seat from the DMK,” he charged.
‘Parole rules misused’
Mr. Annamalai accused the DMK of misusing parole rules for Perarivalan and claimed he had not been in jail even for a day since the DMK came to power [Perarivalan was released on parole during the previous AIADMK regime as well. The Supreme Court had granted him bail in March this year].
