Rahul unhappy Rajiv case convicts will be freed

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday came out against the Tamil Nadu government's move to free those convicted in the assassination of his father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

If someone "who kills a prime minister is released, how will the common man get justice?" an emotional Rahul Gandhi told a gathering in his parliamentary constituency Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

"The prime minister gave up his life... (but the) prime minister does not get justice," he said.

The Congress condemned the Tamil Nadu government's decision to free six men and a woman arrested for the 1991 assassination of Rajiv Gandhi by a Tamil Tiger woman suicide bomber.

Many Congress leaders backed Rahul Gandhi's remarks.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said he was neither happy nor unhappy over the decision.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said he won't comment until he got a letter from the Tamil Nadu government.

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad also expressed disagreement with the Tamil Nadu government.

"The larger issue of the seriousness of the crime, namely the assassination of a prime minister of India, is being ignored," he said.

Rahul Gandhi said while he was against death penalty per se, this issue concerned the country.

"My father will not come back but it is a national matter, not one of my family or my father."

Rahul Gandhi made similar remarks at another rally.

"If the prime minister does not get justice in this country, then the poor will never get justice. My fight is for the poor.

"The day will come when the weakest in the country will get justice," he said.

Rahul Gandhi reminded the people of Amethi about his "deep relationship" with them as well as that of his late father.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Wednesday announced that seven people -- Indians and Sri Lankans -- convicted in the Gandhi assassination case are to be freed.

Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh described the decision as "extremely unfortunate."

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said that he fully agreed with Rahul Gandhi's views.

Congress general secretary Ajay Maken termed the decision to free the seven as politically motivated and irresponsible.

"We believe that those who assassinated our former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi should not be given any relief."

Maken said the BJP was "baying for the blood" of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. "We are surprised that when it comes to other assassins, they don't even utter a word."