Rajiv's killer my friend: Karunanidhi

NEW DELHI: Throwing to winds the sanctity of the rule of law, Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi on Sunday described the chief of the banned terror outfit LTTE and principal accused in the Rajiv Gandhi murder case, Veluppillai Prabhakaran, a "friend" and said he would have deep regrets if he is killed during the military operations in Sri Lanka.

"He is not a terrorist. Prabhakaran is my friend and I���m not a terrorist," the chief minister told a TV channel. He also said the objectives of LTTE were legitimate, but it may be using wrong methods. The DMK chief also refused to concede that LTTE was a terror outfit, saying some in the organisation "may be involved in terror."

The Tamil Nadu chief minister said the only time he had disagreement with Prabhakaran was when the latter said that he favoured dictatorship. "I had disagreement with this view of Prabhakaran," the DMK leader said.

The chief minister���s statement comes at a time when important political parties are indulging in virulent statements on the Sri Lankan issue. It was only last week that Vaiko warned that there could be bloodbath in Tamil Nadu if the LTTE leader was killed in the military operation.

Congress, which is left with the support of just DMK and IUML, was cautious in its response to the audacious statement of the chief minister. "It is his view. If he is caught by the Sri Lankan government, he should be handed over to India," said Congress leader Kapil Sibal. Those in Congress who demanded Vaiko���s arrest were conspicuous by their silence.

But the compromises that Congress is having to make for the sake of the alliance cannot but be distressing to the average party worker in the state. The remarks made by the DMK chief show that he is not mindful of the sensitivities of Congress.

Congress will have a lot of explaining to do as it had withdrawn support to the United Front government over the Jain Commission report. Congress justified it on the ground that the the report accused DMK and Mr Karunanidhi of strong links with the LTTE. In the latest interview, he has said that it was not some vague association with Prabhakaran, but a "friendship".

Congress will have to put up with Mr Karunanidhi and his statements as no political party in the state is inclined to condemn the actions of the LTTE. Parties are vying with each other to be seen as backing the Tamil cause. This even forced the Centre to issue a statement on Friday.

"The government of Sri Lanka must extend this pause in hostilities to prevent further casualties and enable trapped civilians to leave the area to secure locations. Continuation of military actions leading to further civilian casualties at this time would be totally unacceptable," the minister had said. The Lankan government has already rejected this appeal.