Search the Internet           Tips

Krishna may go to Madras again for next move

Fakir Chand in Bangalore

With the ongoing hostage crisis involving the abduction of Kannada icon Dr Rajakumar by forest brigand Veerappan entering the 65th day, the clueless Karnataka government is still groping for a solution to bring down the curtains on the agonising kidnap drama.

In a desperate attempt to find a way out of the impasse that has been complicated by the sensational escape by one of the hostages (Nagappa) from the bandit's captivity last week, the ruling Congress government has decided to meet the leaders of opposition parties on Tuesday separately for eliciting their views on the next course of action.

State Chief Minister S M Krishna and Home Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge will be meeting the main floor leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal (United), and the Janata Dal (Secular) during the course of the day at the former's official residence in Bangalore.

It will be followed by a formal meeting with the 28 Members of Parliament hailing from Karnataka in the afternoon and a high-level crisis committee meeting in the evening at the state secretariat.

After this exercise, Krishna is likely to go to Madras either on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning to discuss the matter with his Tamil Nadu counterpart M Karunanidhi to chalk out the next course of action. It will be Krishna's fourth visit to Madras in the last two months after the hostage crisis broke out.

The state government is keen to find a solution that will have the concurrence of all the political parties. With state emissary R Raja Gopal returning to Madras after an abortive fourth mission to the outlaw's hideout in the wake of Nagappa's escape, there is a strong feeling among opposition parties as well as the various Kannada film federations that an additional emissary should be sent along with Gopal on his proposed fifth mission to the forests.

Krishna will also be exploring the possibility of seeking the Centre's intervention to end the prolonged crisis. With the next hearing in the Supreme Court coming up only on October 11th, time is running out for the beleaguered state government as Dr Rajakumar's family and thousands of his fans are becoming increasingly restive.

In one voice, with the backing of Dr Rajakumar's family, the Kannada film organisations and his fans' association have petitioned the state government to send advocate Venugopal along with Gopal on his next or fifth mission to the forest to convince Veerappan to set the Kannada thespian free.

Venugopal is a Mysore-based lawyer representing many of the Terrorist And Disruptive Activities Act detainees in the courts. The detenues have been languishing in jails since the last 7 to 8 years. Veerappan had sought their release in exchange for Dr Rajakumar's freedom.

ALSO SEE
Nagappa goes into hiding

The Rajakumar Abduction: complete coverage
The saga of Veerappan

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report