SL Tamils will be protected with Centre's help: MK

Chennai, Feb 4: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today asserted that Tamils in Sri Lanka would be protected with the support of the Union Government.

Reacting to PMK founder S Ramadoss' charge that the Chief Minister had failed to meet expectations of Tamils on the Lankan issue, he said the Centre should extend support to fulfil the Lankan Tamils' aspirations.

''Let us wait and protect the Lankan Tamils,'' he said in a statement here.

On the Opposition's charges that State Election Commissioner T Chandrasekaran was related to DMK Minister Duraimurgan and he was pro-DMK, Mr Karunanidhi said he would not act against truth and honesty despite being a relative to the Minister.

Citing an example, he said Mr Justice Ibrahim Kalifullah of Madras High Court who gave a dissenting judgement on Chennai Coporation elections, ordering re-poll in 99 wards citing irregularities, was closely related to Government counsel Raja Kalifullah, who argued in the case.

Despite being a relative, the Justice had not accepted the Government counsel's arguments, he pointed out.

On the demand for use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the repoll in 99 corporation wards in the city, Mr Karunanidhi said the October 2006 local body elections had been held using ballot papers.

However, the Chief Minister said he would be happy, if the Chennai Coporation commenced its civic works on democratic basis after completion of election process by using any method of polling.

UNI