M A I N   N E W S

NDA team to recommend President’s rule

Chennai, July 1
A three-member NDA team led by its convener George Fernandes, which made an assessment of the current political situation in Tamil Nadu, will recommend President’s rule in the state to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Disclosing this to newspersons at the end of a day’s visit today to get first-hand information on the arrest of the former Chief Minister, Mr M. Karunanidhi, and two Union Ministers here yesterday, Mr Fernandes said there was a complete breakdown of the constitutional machinery in Tamil Nadu, warranting the imposition of President’s rule.

The former Defence Minister, who along with two others was deputed by the Prime Minister, said the team had decided to recommend to Mr Vajpayee when it meets him tomorrow that “something more than what has been decided today (the Union Cabinet’s recommendation for the recall of the Governor) is called for.”

Answering a question, Mr Fernandes said what was warranted in Tamil Nadu was imposition of President’s rule and there was no other option.

When reminded of the practical difficulties the Centre had faced while imposing President’s rule earlier in Bihar, he said. “We are aware of all that. It is for the Cabinet to decide.’’

Asked whether the NDA would seek the support of the Opposition for the imposition of President’s rule, the Samata Party leader pointed out that the entire country had condemned what had happened here.

“Even the closest allies of Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa have distanced themselves from her by condemning the manner in which the arrests have been effected.”

Mr Fernandes said the two Union Ministers, Mr Murasoli Maran and Mr T. R. Baalu, had been “insulted, assaulted, humiliated, arrested and sent to jail.’’

They are men of merit, he said, and regretted that all democratic norms of behaviour had been thrown to the winds and the ministers were described as street rowdies by no less a person than the chief minister.

The video tapes and reports on yesterday’s arrests clearly proved that the police had acted with high-handedness against the ministers. “If the situation continues, there will be total anarchy and constitutional crisis,’’ he averred. UNI