Union Minister Denies Flouting Defence Rules

Union minister of state for defence N V N Somu, has denied that he had ever used a defence aircraft for a private visit, flouting defence rules, as alleged by the AIADMK general secretary, Jayalalitha.

Referring to Jayalalithas charge that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader, M Karunanidhi, had not bothered to pull up the minister for using a defence aircraft during his private visit to Chennai recently, Somu said he had already given an explanation in this regard to Karunanidhi when the latter had sought one.

A month ago, a local English daily had reported that the minister used a defence aircraft, in violation of rules. Subsequently, the Chief Minister had told newsmen that he had sought an explanation from Somu.

Somu, in a statement here on Saturday, also denied Jayalalithas charge that there was a cold war between him and the Union minister, Murasoli Maran.

I learnt honesty, decency and discipline in public life from DMK leaders like late Anna, the present chief, Karunanidhi and my father, late N V Natarajan. Jayalalitha has locus standi to teach me the above principles, he said.

Somu also referred to Jayalalithas charge that the government was trying to take over 166 acres of defence land in Tiruchirappalli for passing it further to a private party to start a medical college there, and said that the Chief Minister had clarified that the proposal was to set up a government medical college there.

Wondering why Jayalalitha was raking up the issue again despite the Chief Ministers explanation, Somu said as per defence rules, if any defence land was taken over by the state government, an equal extent of the land should be given to the defence authorities, whenever and wherever it asked for. If not possible, the market value of the land should be given to them for the land taken over.

Jayalalitha, in a statement on Saturday, had alleged that the Chief Minister did not take any action against Somu for using the defence aircraft because Somu, as a former president of the Hindu Newspaper Employees Union, had helped in ensuring that anti-DMK stories did not appear in the newspaper.