DMK MPs to move privilege motion on 'deny-Modi-visa' letter

DMK members may move a privilege motion in the ensuing monsoon session of parliament against "misuse" of their signatures in a letter urging US President Barack Obama to deny visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, said the party spokesperson.

He said the party will look at the website www.65traitors.com that carries the scanned copy of a letter written to Obama and also the signatures of the 65 MPs who are alleged to have signed it. Many MPs have denied signing the letter and alleged their signatures have been foged.

"Our MPs plan to move a privilege motion in parliament in the ensuing session on the matter. It is a clear case of signature misuse. When asked about the letter and their signatures, our MPs say that they had appended their signatures for a different petition," T.K.S. Elangovan, DMK's Lok Sabha member and spokesperson, told IANS.

While he agrees the signatures of DMK MPs are genuine, Elangovan is unsure whether the original petition for a different issue was substituted with the Obama letter or signatures from earlier petitions have been attached to the controversial letter.

"I remember signing a petition on the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils. Certainly, I would have not signed the petition if it is about Modi visa to the US. I would have asked the person who had come with such a petition to approach the party leadership," a DMK MP told IANS, preferring anonymity.

He added: "Hereafter one has to insist typing out the letter brief at the top of additional sheets that carry the signatures."

Curiously as per the scanned copy of the letter available on www.65traitors.com, only two MPs have signed at the end of the letter (page 2) and signatures of all other MPs are on separate sheets.

On the www.65traitors.com issue, Elangovan said: "How can the MPs be termed as traitors? We will look at it and decide on the future course of action."

A Congress MP from Tamil Nadu told IANS: "I had signed the petition only after knowing the subject matter."