Chennai, May 21 (IANS): It was on this day three decades back that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). A controversy has now arisen in the ruling DMK front of Tamil Nadu with the state Congress chief coming out against Chief Minister MK Stalin writing to President Ram Nath Kovind pleading for clemency for the seven convicts in the Rajiv assassination case.
Stalin had written a letter to the President on Thursday requesting him to pardon the seven convicts as they had been in jail for the last thirty years.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president KS Alagiri after paying tribute to Rajiv Gandhi at the state Congress headquarters told reporters that his party does not agree with the Chief Minister writing to the President to pardon the seven convicts.
Alagiri said, "Convicts should not be differentiated on any basis, be it religion, caste, language or race and only courts should award punishment to the guilty and also set convicts free"
The TNCC president said that there should not be any "political pressure" in this matter and this was the stand of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.
The senior leader said that more than 100 Tamil prisoners are languishing in different jails of Tamil Nadu for the past twenty five years and wondered why the state government is worried about only these seven convicts.
When asked about the statement of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi forgiving the convicts in the assassination case of his father, Alagiri said "Forgiving was one thing and releasing the convicts from jail was another thing."
He said the Congress party does not welcome it and does not desire their release. He said that political pressure on such matters would lead to serious consequences in the society in future leading to several undesirable things and there would be no law and order. Alagiri added: "This is quite unacceptable and if the same yardstick is applied to all Tamils who have spent 20-25 years in jail, then it could turn into a humanitarian thing, seeking early release."
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister MK Stalin paid floral tributes to Rajiv Gandhi by garlanding his photograph at Tiruchirappalli.