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Firing yet another salvo against Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for its pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam stance, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Friday demanded the dismissal of the party's treasurer M Kannappan from the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre.
In a letter to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jayalalithaa said Kannappan is openly supporting the LTTE, a banned organisation, at public meetings and media conferences.
"Such speeches supporting the LTTE are neither occasional nor accidental, but the minister is regularly preaching and enlisting support for the LTTE. Can a minister of the Government of India while holding office violate the provisions of law and support a banned organisation openly?" she asked.
"If a minister openly supports a banned organisation, it can only mean that the minister is very close to the said organisation. It may be possible that the oath of secrecy taken by him is likely to be violated, which is against the interests of the entire country. Such inference cannot be ruled out," Jayalalithaa wrote in the letter.
She has sent a copy of the letter to Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani.
Meanwhile, Kannappan on Friday condemned the arrest of Tamil Nationalist Movement leader P Nedumaran under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for his "recent pro-LTTE" speeches.
"We strongly condemn the anti-democratic and oppressive measures being adopted by the state [TN] government," he said in a statement in New Delhi.
"DMK leader M Karunanidhi was arrested by the government last year. MDMK leader Vaiko was arrested last month under POTA and now it is the turn of Nedumaran," he said adding that he feared many more leaders might face the same fate soon.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai, Karunanidhi described Nedumaran's arrest as "another incidence of misuse of POTA."
"I hope MPs will raise the issue of misuse of POTA in Tamil Nadu in Parliament," the DMK chief said.
ALSO SEE: Pro-LTTE speech no ground for disqualification: Kannappan
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