Prabhakaran's mother allowed to visit TN

The Centre has allowed slain Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam leader Prabhakaran's mother Parvathi Ammal to visit Tamil Nadu for medical treatment on certain conditions, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said on Monday.

The Union government's decision has been conveyed through a letter to the Indian mission in Kuala Lumpur where she is staying at present, Karunanidhi said in a suo motu statement in the state assembly.

He said the Centre has granted permission to Parvathi, 80, to visit the state solely for the purpose of medical treatment. Immigration officials had in April deported Parvathi to Malaysia from where she had come to Chennai for treatment. Listing the various conditions, Karunanidhi said the slain LTTE chief's mother should confine herself to the hospital and should not stay anywhere else.

He said Parvathi could receive treatment in a government hospital if she so desired. "The state will make all necessary arrangements for it," he said.

However, Parvathi should not have any contact with any political party or banned organisations or those connected with them, the chief minister said, adding that she should interact only with close relatives whom she has mentioned specifically.

Karunanidhi said the Centre had passed the order to grant Parvathi a six-month visa without interrupting a pending case in the high court.

"Usually this type of procedure will take a long time. However, considering Parvathi Ammal's health, the Centre and the state had taken the initiative (to speed up the process)," he said.

After the deportation of Parvathi, some political parties in Tamil Nadu had raised the issue in the assembly, but Karunanidhi had then denied any knowledge about her visit.

The Madras high court had on April 30 given two weeks time to Parvathi to represent to the state government if she wanted to undergo medical treatment in Chennai, following which she had sent an e-mail to the government seeking permission for the same.

The state government had written to the home ministry to consider allowing Parvathi to visit Chennai for treatment, provided certain conditions were met.