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Citing his recent pro-LTTE speeches, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has threatened MDMK supremo Vaiko with action under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) for his pro-LTTE utterances.
The LTTE is banned in India and is believed to be behind the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.
The AIADMK supremo has taken up the issue with Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister L K Advani.
The chief minister pointed out to Advani that, in a speech delivered at Thirumanagalam (near Madurai) recently, Vaiko had said, "I supported the LTTE yesterday. I support the LTTE today, and I will continue to support the LTTE."
The LTTE 'has a greater cause to adopt violent methods and take up arms. It protected the Tamil community in Sri Lanka from annihilation and their womenfolk from inhuman abuse', Vaiko reportedly said.
This has not gone down well with the state government and the chief minister is believed to have sent a video recording of Vaiko's speech to Advani.
"The people of Tamil Nadu watched in consternation Vaiko's speech, which was widely telecast," Jayalalithaa has written to Advani.
"The text of Vaiko's speech undoubtedly attracts the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967, and also POTA," she said.
In this context, Jayalalithaa has made a pointed reference to the Centre's efforts to come down heavily on terrorism, citing the examples of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and the Osama bin Laden-led Al Qaeda terrorist network.
The letter, however, does not disclose if the state government has already initiated action against Vaiko. Nor does it ask Advani to 'discipline' the MDMK leader, who has become a trusted ally of the BJP in recent years.
Incidentally, both the ruling AIADMK and the MDMK had supported POTA in Parliament.
Vaiko has been known to take up the LTTE cause whenever the MDMK suffers electoral reverses.
His recent utterances may be the result of the party's poor showing in the Saidapet assembly by-election held in June.
Contesting in alliance with the BJP, the MDMK candidate got less than 2500 votes and even lost the security deposit.
On the other hand, Jayalalithaa's decision to take up Vaiko's case with Advani may have something to do with her desire to be part of the NDA.
With newly-installed BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu declaring, in Chennai on Monday night, that the DMK continues to be the party's 'trusted ally' in Tamil Nadu, the message is clear: the AIADMK can be a part of the alliance along with the DMK, or it can wait till the DMK chooses to quit the NDA.
The AIADMK chief may have given vent to her frustration with this letter to Advani.
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