Search the Internet           Tips

Krishna to outline strategy against Veerappan on Tuesday

Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna has said that he will outline his government's strategy to nab the bandit Veerappan in a statement in both Houses of the state legislature on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, Krishna said he would be discussing the state's future course of action to "eradicate the brigand's menace" with leaders of opposition parties at an all-party meeting on Monday evening.

This is the seventh all-party meeting convened by the chief minister after the bandit kidnapped Kannada film star Rajakumar and the first one after the actor's release.

About the statement of Director General of Police C Dinakar that the Special Task Force was raring to go after Veerappan, Krishna said he had asked Chief Secretary B K Bhattacharya to verify the "authenticity of the statement".

Krishna refused to react when asked whether the state would request the Centre to deploy commandos for the operations.

Earlier, in the state assembly, Krishna rejected the opposition's demand for a white paper on the Rajakumar kidnap crisis and the developments relating to the actor's release.

Responding to the demand by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal, United, he also turned down the plea for making public the correspondence between him and the chief minister of Tamil Nadu during the crisis and the contents of the audio and videocassettes sent by the fugitive setting out his demands.

Krishna hit back at B Somasekhar of the JD-U, asking him, "When the outlaw kidnapped forest staff and two wildlife photographers during 1997, did the then Janata Dal government bring out a white paper? Had that government done it, I also would have given it."

Earlier, Leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar of the BJP sought to move an adjournment motion seeking a discussion on the kidnap crisis, but Speaker M V Venkatappa disallowed it at the preliminary stage itself, saying he would permit a debate under some other rule.

Intervening, Krishna said he would make a statement on the floor of the House on Tuesday.

When BJP members were refused consent to make preliminary submissions, they staged a walkout in protest.

PTI

The Rajakumar Abduction: complete coverage
The saga of Veerappan

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report