Decision saddens Rahul Gandhi

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he was saddened that all the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case were being set free by the Tamil Nadu government.

As he came out against the Jayalalithaa government's decision, the Congress vice-president also asked what should the common man expect when the prime minister's killers are being freed. The views of the Congress were endorsed by the Union government with the minister of state for home R P N Singh describing the decision as "wrong and extremely unfortunate".

Congress legislators in Tamil Nadu walked out of the assembly in protest. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president B S Gnanadesikan said, "Politics is happening over the Rajiv Gandhi case in Tamil Nadu. After the opposition urged the release of three convicts, the government has come forward to release the seven convicts."