At the outset, I feel pained to know that the article published on
2nd July was perceived to be a biased version by a few of those who
read the article although it was intended to be impartial. My purpose
was to act like a devil's advocate especially when everybody is totally
submerged into one and only view. If the readers' did not get that
impression after reading my article, I need to accept the defeat of
the purpose of writing that article.
If my remarks on the action of the police, governor, the honourable
Central Ministers and Mr Karunanidhi whom I salute as one of the most
respected politician of the country suggest that I was not condemning
the injustice done to Mr Karunanidhi, I feel more hurt than anyone
else who reads the article. I once again make it clear that no right
thinking person can pardon and/or support the inhuman, indecent treatment
meted out to the former Chief Minister. I received few comments on
the article. I want to clarify my views and opinions through this
note.
Regarding my remarks on Central Ministers, I sincerely meant that
they should have exercised more restraint. All my remarks on the action
of the central ministers are in no way a bitter criticism of their
personality as a whole. Here, I should add that I have great respects
for Mr Maran and Mr Balu who during their previous and the current
tenures at the Centre earnestly try to develop the State and take
efforts to build the nation. I have personal appreciation and regards
for Mr Maran who tries hard to develop the nation by attracting the
external investors. In this case, they have fought for a genuine cause,
so it can be overlooked. I can understand that Mr Maran, also being
a relative of Mr Karunanidhi, could not have acted like a mere spectator.
My intention was only to convey a point that if their verbal duel
with police was not even objected to, that would become a bad precedence
in future for many such improper actions of the central ministers
in their states. In fact, I implicitly suggested that there should
be a code of conduct for the central ministers when they go to different
states.
I want to be unequivocal when it comes to the police action on 30th
June while arresting Mr Karunanidhi. I did not even remotely defend
the police excesses in my article. In fact, the last section of my
article severely criticises the politicisation of the police force.
In the whole episode, the State police have to be severely condemned
for their inhuman action and I rightly condemned it in my article.
I defended the governor only to the extent that any governor's integrity
should not be questioned at the drop of a hat.
In fact when she herself said that she was not in a position to
explain her action, I do not want to talk about it any further. I
had no intention to support the report from Fathima Beevi to the Central
Government. All that I intended in my article was to question the
Centre's (not the current one alone but also the previous Central
governments) attitude towards any Governor. I also went over some
of the instances in the past where the Governors of those days were
recalled casting apprehension on their integrity. My only concern
that I tried to bring out in the entire article was to exhort the
readers not to selectively overlook some of the mistakes that happened
in this whole episode.
I bow before all the positive and negative comments on my article
and take them with equal fervour without nay prejudice. I consciously
decided not to limit my views to the arrest episode alone and hence
gone over the fundamental issues behind the incidence. If my remarks
have hurt anyone who has been referred to in the article or hurt any
of the readers’ believes, I sincerely apologise. I thank all the criticisms
on my article.