Swamy Defends Truce With Jaya

Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy yesterday justified his partys understanding with AIADMK by saying that he was trying to create an anti-DMK front with the support of other parties, since he was opposed to the DMK governments style of functioning.

Addressing a press meet here, Swamy said we had a quarrel with that party in the past and today we have patched up.

If India and Pakistan, after witnessing three wars can come together, why cant we?, he asked.

Regarding his bitter acrimony with AIADMK general-secretary and former state Chief Minister Jayalalitha between 1991 and 1996, Swamy said if you want me to be a prisoner of the past, I cant. No politician can do it. Even though there were differences between AIADMK and Janata Party, Sawamy said all of us have the same goal vis-a-vis - unseating Karunanidhi.

Asked whether the understanding meant that he was absolving Jayalalitha of all the alleged corruption charges, Swamy said I am not a person to absolve her. All matters are before the court. I said I will take the campaign against her to the end, I have done my duty.

Swamy said the state was now on the verge of anarchy and the understanding with the AIADMK was an attempt to form the anti-DMK front.

He said his partys district presidents in the state and the party Parliamentary board had approved the understanding reached with the AIADMK.

Asked whether understanding would be reached with Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), which is now reportedly on the verge of breaking its ties with the DMK, Swamy said the question was a hypothetical one. First let the TMC breakaway from the DMK, then we will see.

Swamy also demanded a white paper on the caste clashes in the southern districts of the state from December 1996 as it would reveal that crime branch-CID had been sending written warnings to the Chief Minister, who had ignored this.

He said the Centre should send a team of intelligence officials to study the serious situation in the state.

There was no alternative but to declare southern districts as disturbed area and the Centre should despatch para-military forces for three months to end the clashes, he said.