Karuna questions limiting land grabbing probe to DMK regime

Chennai, Jul 11: Expressing surprise over Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's announcement that special police cells would look into allegations of land grabbing during his regime, DMK chief M Karunanidhi today (Jul 11) said the probe should also cover pre-2006 period when AIADMK was in power.

"Land grab and land fraud are wrong. However, unless action is taken against all culprits, irrespective of the time period, such measures will only be construed as targeting a few," he said in a statement here.

Jayalalithaa had said the special cells would probe into complaints of land grabbing during the DMK regime from 2006 to 2011 and take action against those involved.

Karunanidhi said the special cells could be misused by persons who had sold their lands earlier, only with an eye on the soaring real estate prices and claim their land back.

He also cited landgrab charges against Jayalalithaa and her close aide Sasikala at Siruthavur near Chennai. The CPI (M) had then spearheaded a movement demanding retrieval of land meant for Dalits.

However, an inquiry commission set up by the Karunanidhi government based on the complaint of CPI(M), had said there was no material evidence against the AIADMK supremo or Sasikala.

PTI