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Advani says final report on TN is yet to come

Union Home Minister L K Advani today said he was still awaiting the full and final report of the Central team which visited Tamil Nadu recently to review the situation there.

''I will give my considered comment only after the special secretary (home) reports to me,'' he told the media in Ghaziabad after the 28th Raising Day celebration parade of the Central Industrial Security Force.

The home minister said Special Secretary (home) Ashok Kumar, who visited Madras, had met him briefly but a formal report was still awaited. Probed further, he said the report mentioned only about the law and order problem in Madras and not in entire Tamil Nadu.

Advani said the real problem in Tamil Nadu was not that of law and order, but of Inter-Services Intelligence-sponsored terrorism which had spread to Kerala. This was the main cause of concern for the Central government which, in coordination with state governments, must root out terrorism from the country.

''The Central government is not mainly concerned about the law and order problem in Tamil Nadu but terrorism which had affected Punjab and Kashmir and has now spread to the southern region including Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Central and state governments should work together to solve the problem,'' he added.

Asked if he still did not rule out the possibility of dismissing the Karunanidhi government in Tamil Nadu, Advani asserted the that Bharatiya Janata Party government would not 'misuse' Article 356.

Referring to the Supreme Court's directions in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha bribery case relating to the involvement of various people, including Union Communications Minister Buta Singh, Advani said the directions did not make it a chargesheet. ''In my opinion there is no chargesheet.''

When asked whether Buta Singh would be asked to resign, he said it was a matter between the prime minister and the minister concerned. ''I would not like to comment on it.''

About the appointment of governors of various states, he assured that none of them would be changed before their term was complete. ''The criticism that the governors appointed by the previous government would be changed was baseless, and except Gujarat, no other governor would be replaced and would continue till the expiry of their term.''

He said all governors would be appointed in consultation with the chief ministers of states.

UNI

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