Narayanasamy supports ban on pro-Tamil Eelam meeting

PUDUCHERRY: Union minister V Narayanasamy on Sunday came out in support of Tamil Nadu government for its decision to ban a pro-Tamil Eelam public meeting at Cuddalore, in which JKLF chairman Yasin Malik was to participate, saying the step was right and "in the interest of law and order."

"Law and order comes within the purview of the state government and hence Tamil Nadu Government has taken the right step to deny permission for the meeting by the Naam Tamizhar Katchi yesterday," he told reporters here.

Narayanasamy said it was wrong on the part of the Naam Tamizhar Katchi to go in for a meeting by displaying photos of slain LTTE leader Prabhakaran.

"LTTE is a banned outfit in India and hence (Naam Tamizhar Katchi leader) Seeman's plan to hold the meeting, with the portraits of LTTE leader, could not be accepted and hence the ban on public meeting by Tamil Nadu government is justified," he said.

The Centre would intervene and take action in the larger interest of national unity and integrity if it found that any outfit's activities were a threat to national sovereignty, Narayanasamy said.

Police had withdrawn permission granted to the outfit headed by film director Seeman to hold the meeting at Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu in support of the demand for separate Tamil Eelam as the organisers had violated certain conditions.

Yasin Malik, invited by Seeman for the meeting, had extended his support for a separate homeland for the Tamils in Sri Lanka and said Eelam would become a reality.

Former ally of the Congress, DMK chief Karunanidhi has disapproved of the ban.