Asserting that the Tamil Nadu Government was firm on ensuring the early release of life convicts of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Minister for Information ‘Kadambur’ C. Raju has said the State Government would do everything possible in this direction.
During an informal chat with reporters after inaugurating 7.70 km-long road-laying work between Kurumalai and Chidambarapuram at the cost of ₹ 2.43 crore on Friday, Mr. Raju said the late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, after passing a resolution in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in favour of the early release of the seven life convicts of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, approached the Supreme Court after the Centre blocked the move.
On the CBI’s raid in the residences of DGP T.K. Rajendran and Minister for Public Health C. Vijayabaskar in connection with the gutkha scam, Mr. Raju said the CBI, in connection with various cases it was handling, had grilled a few thousand officials occupying various positions of the State Governments and none of them had resigned their posts even as they were being questioned as part of the investigation. Hence, there was no need for demanding the resignation of Mr. Vijayabaskar.
“The Minister (Mr. Vijayabaskar) is extending maximum cooperation to the ongoing probe (on gutkha scam) as he has nothing to hide. And, the State Government is not interfering in the ongoing investigation in any way. The DMK does not have any locus standi to demand the resignation of the Minister. Let him first solve the nagging issues he has with his elder brother (M.K. Alagiri),” Mr. Raju said.