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Union cabinet sends a warning to TN government

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The Union cabinet on Tuesday decided to send a stern warning to the Tamil Nadu government, asking it to "rectify the breaches of Constitutional propriety" committed during the recent arrest of former chief minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi and two Union ministers in Madras.

Briefing reporters on the outcome of Tuesday's three-hour cabinet meeting at Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's residence, Union Law and Justice Minister Arun Jaitley said the warning sent to the TN government was in accordance with the framework of Centre-state relationship laid down by the Sarkaria Commission and endorsed by the Supreme Court.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Attorney General Soli Sorabjee.

Jaitley emphasised that the TN government would be required to report its compliance of the warning to the Union government. He said though the action initiated against the state government did not come under Article 257 or 355 of the Constitution, it was a step in "rectifying the wrongs committed in TN in the last couple of days."

Jaitley said after considering the report of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which had sent a three-member delegation to TN, the cabinet felt that the freedom of the Press in TN had been undermined in the events following Karunanidhi's arrest.

Giving a gist of the MHA report, the minister said the state's action against Karunanidhi was vindictive and premeditated.

Describing the arrest of Union Commerce Minister Murasoli Maran and Union Minister for Environment and Forest T Baalu as unwarranted and unjustified, Jaitley pointed out that the entry of the state police into Maran's house for arresting Karunanidhi's son Stalin was "uncalled for."

He went on to say that the state police had arrested the DMK chief under a false pretext in the mist of darkness which created an environment of confrontation. "This became the basis of the arrest of Karunanidhi and the two Central ministers," he said.

Meanwhile, the Union government on Tuesday denied that it had requested the TN government to drop charges against Maran and Baalu.

Quoting from a press release, a senior official of Prime Minister's Office said: "It is clarified that this is incorrect. The PM never made any request to the TN government to drop charges against the Central ministers."

Karunanidhi's Arrest: The Complete Coverage

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