Tamil Nadu Congress' Veiled Attack On DMK, Flays 'Political Pressure' To Get Rajiv Case Convicts Released

Congress leader KS Alagiri, however, said party will accept if the accused are released by the court but added that no “political pressure” should be exerted for their release.

Congress workers take oath after the Rajiv Jothi Yatra reached Chennai for the tributary ceremony of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 30th death anniversary. (Image: PTI)

Chennai: Expressing displeasure over M.K. Stalin urging President Ram Nath Kovind to remit the life sentences of the seven Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts and direct their immediate release, Tamil Nadu Congress said that it does not agree with Chief Minister on this issue and condemned what he dubbed “political pressure”.

“We do not agree to it,” the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief KS Alagiri told the media here.

Alagiri, however, said party will accept if the accused are released by the court but added that no “political pressure” should be exerted for their release.

The Congress leader, who paid floral tributes to a portrait of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary at the party headquarters here, said the convicts should not be differentiated on any basis be it religion, caste, language or race.

“Political pressure on such issues would in future lead to several undesirable happenings in society and there would be no law and order,” he added.

Alagiri further said if the premise for seeking the convicts’ release was that they were Tamils and if the same was applied to all the Tamils who have spent over 20-25 years in jails then it could be a humanitarian ground for seeking early release.

Pointing out that over 100 Tamil prisoners were languishing in prisons in Tamil Nadu for over 25 years, the Congress leader said it does not appear to be just when this argument was used only for securing the release of seven prisoners in the former prime minister’s assassination case.

“The Congress party does not welcome it and does not desire it,” he said.

Responding to a poser about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stating months ago that he had forgiven those responsible for his father’s killing, Alagiri said that pardoning was one thing and release of convicts was another thing.

“The court will not accept if an aggrieved person forgives one found guilty,” he said.

Alagiri’s remarks came as Stalin wrote to President Kovind on Thursday requesting to accept the state government’s recommendation in September 2018 and pass the order to release the life sentences of all the seven convicts in the assassination case.

Stalin said the convicts - S. Nalini, Murugan, Santhan, A.G. Perarivalan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, and P. Ravichandran – be released as they have been undergoing the agony of imprisonment for about three decades.

The former prime minister was assassinated on May 21, 1991, at Sriperumbudur near Chennai by a woman suicide bomber Dhanu at an election rally of the Congress Party.