I could not attend CM Conference due to Kalam visit: MK

Chennai, Sep 8 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today clarified that he could not attend the Chief Ministers Conference convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on September five, because he was preoccupied with President A P J Abdul Kalam's visit on September four and five.

In a statement here, Mr Karunanidhi said President Kalam had many functions on September five and he had agreed to participate in two of them. As he had already committed himself to attend, along with Mr Kalam, he did not want to pull out of the functions as that would have been improper.

Earlier in the day, AIADMK Superemo and former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa made allegations that instead of Mr Karunanidhi attending a Chief Minister Conference at Trivandrum on July 22, he has sent his relative and Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Commission Prof Naganathan.

Referring to Ms Jayalalitha's allegation, Mr Karunanidhi said Ms Jayalalithaa should know that the meeting held at Trivandrum was not a Chief Ministers conference and the meeting was a Regional Consultation on the draft Approach paper for the eleventh five year plan. Moreover on July 22nd, he was unable to move out of the city as the state budget was presented at the State Assembly. So he deputed Prof Naganathan for that meeting as a Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.

Referring to Ms Jayalaitha's claim that suspension of former Director General of Police Ravindranath was due to an allegation of sexual harassment of a women police officer against him, Mr Karunanidhi questioned why no further action was taken against Mr Ravindranath for remaining four years after her tenure after his initial suspension.

Referring to Ms Jayalaithaa's another allegation that he had favouered a former Home Secretary Syed Munir Hoda, who had been suspended after he issued two orders in favour of Mr Abdul Nazir Maudhani, who was lodged in Coimbatore Central Prision in connection with 1998 serial bomb blasts, 'without the knowledge of the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary,' Mr Karunanidhi said Mr Hoda's suspension has not been approved by the Central Government. The suspension of an IAS officer from the minority commuinity was a matter of debate among IAS trainees in Mussoorie at present, Mr Karunanidhi added.

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