Chennai: In the wake of arrests of his senior
colleagues in connection with land grab complaints, DMK
president M Karunanidhi on Saturday asked his legal wing members to
effectively use RTI as a "safety tool" to protect partymen.
"We should ask questions that will send a shiver among
personnel of any department, including police, that come
towards us. They should fear their future prospects. Keep that
in mind and use Right to Information (to ask queries),"
Karunanidhi told his legal wing members here.
He said this fear would act as a "safety tool" that will
protect DMK members, who he alleged were facing tough times
like during the Emergency. "When you seek Information, they
will be apprehensive, thinking why was it sought," he said.
A legal wing member present at the meeting said DMK would
seek information on about 100 queries asking details,
including officers` assets, memo received, departmental
action, if any that they had faced and some other matters.
"They are legally bound to furnish information. This will be
helpful in exposing officers, mainly from police department.
We will cover officers from Sub-Inspector to Commissioner."
Recalling the Emergency, he said there was "no need to
mention police atrocities on DMK workers". Even popular
socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan had praised his party.
"Those were days when it was uncertain if arrested partymen
would return alive. Even then none could destroy DMK which
only grew stronger. Similar efforts are now on to destroy
DMK," he said.
He urged the advocates to assist those arrested (for
land grab) and help them out of the cases.
Party sources also said all legal routes would be utilised
in support of jailed leaders, including former Ministers
Veerapandi S Arumugam, KN Nehru, K Ponmudi and N K K P Raja,
besides MLAs J Anbazhagan and Soundarapandian.
Some aides of Union Minister M K Alagiri are also in jail
on land grab complaints.
PTI
