PMK chief seeks PM's intervention for release of 7 convicts in

PMK founder S Ramadoss on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and sought his intervention for securing the release of seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

Ramadoss, accompanied by his son and Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani, had a 20-minute meeting with the Prime Minister in the national capital which was "cordial and constructive," a party release here said.

Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in May 1991 during a poll rally at nearby Sriperumbudur after a suicide bomber of the banned LTTE blew herself up.

In his letter submitted to Modi, the PMK chief said the Supreme Court had last year allowed the Tamil Nadu government to decide on releasing the seven convicts-- Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan, Robert Payas, Ravichandran, Jayakumar and Nalini.

Subsequently, the state government had adopted a cabinet resolution on September 9, 2018 recommending to Governor Banwarilal Purohit for their release but his office was "procrastinating" on this matter, Ramadoss said.

"Tamils all over the world expected that the Governor would take a decision shortly. But even after one year and one month after receiving the letter, the office of the Governor of Tamil Nadu has not taken any decision and is procrastinating on this matter.

This has disappointed and distressed millions of Tamils all over the world," he said.

"It is rather unfair," he said, adding the seven convicts were in prison for the last 28 years and keeping them in jail any further without any strong reason would be a serious violation of human rights.

The former prime minister's widow Sonia and son Rahul have "categorically said that they have no objections to the release of seven Tamils," he added.

Referring to reports about release of some prisoners in Punjab on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, "we request that the same kindness may be extended to the Tamils in jails," he said.

Ramadoss also lauded Modi for his recent remarks praising the Tamil language in the US as well as during his visit here last week.

The PMK leader, whose party is an ally of the BJP, further urged Modi to withdraw the proposed hydrocarbon extraction projects in the state and sought linking of the Cauvery and Godavari rivers.