Press has misquoted him, says Vaiko

Chennai, Dec 29 (UNI) A day after the Congress took strong exception to his reported statement that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party President Sonia Gandhi had admonished the DMK for trying to break his party, MDMK General Secretary Vaiko claimed that the press had ''misquoted'' him.

Mr Vaiko was responding after Congress Working Committee member in charge of Tamil Nadu Veerappa Moily had yesterday dismissed as ''incorrect'' that he (Vaiko) had received messages from Dr Singh and Ms Gandhi, saying that ''breaking a political party and caputring its head office is an unbearable and uncivilised act.'' In identical letters to the Prime Minister and the Congress President, Mr Vaiko said the bi-weekly ''had exaggerated my version, adding certain utterances which I have not told the press reporter''.

He had only told the bi-weekly that he had sent fax messages to the two leaders about the prevailing perilous situtation to create trouble to MDMK, due to a conspiracy hatched by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

He further told the bi-weekly that ''I understand that the fax message had been placed before them and I presume, they dont' relish such activities to damage our party. The conspired plan to attack and capture our party headquarters has been dropped, may be some message from Delhi might have prevented such a move.'' Mr Vaiko said he did not make any other statement to the bi-weekly regarding the episode. ''DMK is trying to gain political advantage, exploiting the above said press report,'' he alleged.

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