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Kannada-Tamil row shocks TN house

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today made a startling disclosure in the state assembly that Staff Selection Commission Regional Director Subatra Narayanan, a Tamil based in Madras, had received a threat to her life for selecting 19 Tamils for appointment in the accountant general's office in Karnataka.

Replying to the special mention by A L Subramaniam (of the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham) and eight others on the issue, Karunanidhi said the state government had made arrangements to tap her telephone and posted security at her residence following threats to murder her and kidnap her daughter.

Subatra, who was holding additional charge of Karnataka, had selected 104 people including 23 Tamils for appointment.

While the others had been appointed in various departments, the appointment orders in respect of 19 Tamils were cancelled on the ground that they did not have 'sufficient knowledge of Kannada'.

The cancellation followed the 35-day-long strike by some Kannada chauvinist organisations to protest against the appointments, he pointed out.

Subatra, who was held responsible for the selection, was abused and humiliated when she visited Bangalore recently, Karunanidhi disclosed.

Following the unpleasant experience, Subatra had been avoiding even her official visits to Bangalore, the chief minister said adding that such threats were against the concept of unity and integrity of the country.

He said dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on February 15 seeking his intervention to withdraw the cancellation of appointment orders. However, there has been no response so far.

In his letter, Karunanidhi had pointed out the ''injustice done to the Tamils and the blatant violation of the provisions of the Constitution and Supreme Court rulings which favoured equal job opportunities for all''.

Expressing confidence that things would be set right, the chief minister said he would continue to keep in touch with both the Centre and the Karnataka government to render justice to the Tamils.

He, however, cautioned that Tamils, while expressing their feelings and sentiments over the sensitive issue, should not become chauvinists and create problems.

UNI

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