DMK for releasing three Rajiv killers: Karuna

Chennai, Aug 31: A day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa accused him of enacting a ''fake drama'' over the issue of saving the lives of three Rajiv Gandhi killers, DMK President M Karunanidhi on Tuesday made a strong pitch for their release saying over 20 years spent by them in jail should be treated as ''full punishment.''

Joining issue with Jayalalithaa for calling his demand for saving the lives of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan sentenced to death as a ''fake drama'', he sought to know "what was wrong in asking for reconsideration of the punishment awarded to them?"

"The DMK's stand is that the Centre should take steps to set free the three convicts since they have already spent over 20 years in prison and this should be treated as full punishment," he said in a statement.

Making a statement in the Assembly yesterday, Jayalalithaa said Karunanidhi, when he was Chief Minister, had recommended to the Governor to reject the mercy petitions of the three and commute the death sentence to Nalini, to life.

Seeking to turn the tables on her, the DMK chief alleged that Jayalalithaa in an article in AIADMK mouth piece ''Namadhu MGR'' on October 28, 2008 had said "even after nine years the execution of the three has not been carried out and instead Nalini's punishment has been commuted."

"After saying like this, she has moved a resolution today only because of pressure from many political parties," he charged.

PTI