New Delhi: Allies Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam have had significantly different reactions to the news of the release of A.G. Perarivalan, jailed at 19 years in 1991 in connection with the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.
DMK president M.K. Stalin was quick to hail the Supreme Court’s order as a “welcome” one.
“He has lost over 30 years in jail and now can take a fresh breath of freedom. I wish him well,” the Tamil Nadu chief minister was quoted as having said.
Stalin also noted that that the verdict was “a huge victory for the principles of federalism and state autonomy.” He added that the state government’s arguments in court had been on establishing its rights on the matter.
A video, showing Stalin speaking to Perarivalan’s mother in the aftermath of his release has also been shared on social media. Later in the day, Arputham Ammal and Perarivalan also visited Stalin.
In contrast, Congress has expressed pain and disappointment over the release of Perarivalan.
While it did not bring up DMK by name, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government of creating “a situation” in the court that the murderer of a former prime minister was freed, and asked if the BJP supported this. Rajiv Gandhi was a Congress leader.
“Today there is sorrow and fury not only among Congress workers, but in every citizen who believes in India and Indianness,” he said. “It is condemnable and very unfortunate.”
“A terrorist is a terrorist and should be treated as one. Today, we are deeply pained and disappointed at the decision of the Supreme Court ordering the release of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassin.”
“If those guilty of terrorism, and assassination of a prime minister are going to be released like this, then who will uphold the majesty and the integrity of law in this country,” Surjewala asked.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government need to answer over their “duplicity and double speak on terrorism”.
“Are you going to be complicit in the release of terrorists and murderers of a former prime minister of this country. Is it acquiescence by silence?” he said.
The Congress leader said that on September 9, 2018, the then AIADMK-BJP government in Tamil Nadu recommended the release of all seven persons convicted for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, and the recommendation was sent to the then governor Banwarilal Purohit, a former BJP leader.
Purohit “just sat” over the recommendation, before referring the matter to President of India, the Congress leader said.
“Because the nominee of the BJP government, the governor of Tamil Nadu, did not take a call to accept or reject the recommendation of the then AIADMK BJP government for release of terrorists and murderers….the Supreme Court had to release one of them,” Surjewala said.
“So, by default you are permitting terrorist and murderers of late Shri Rajiv Gandhi to be released,” he said. “Obviously, all six will now be released,” he said.
This delay by the governor had also been commented upon by the Supreme Court.
The DMK is one of the Congress’s steadfast allies. Earlier this year, when Stalin inaugurated his party’s New Delhi office, he was accompanied by Congress’s interim president Sonia Gandhi. Other Congress leaders were among the important guests at the inauguration ceremony.
The release of Stalin’s autobiography in February also saw Rahul Gandhi as a special guest, The Hindu has noted in its report on the two parties differing in stand.
However, comments by Rahul Gandhi at the Congress’s Chintan Shivir in Udaipur, where he said that state-level parties do not have an ideology and thus cannot fight the Bharatiya Janata Party effectively, could not have gone down well with its regional ally, DMK. Although the party did not comment on the remarks, other regional parties like the Janata Dal (Secular), Aam Aadmi Party and National Conference pointed to the Congress-DMK alliance in the aftermath of the ‘no ideology’ comment.
(With PTI inputs)