Prabhakaran’s mother deported: DMK seeks clarification

NEW DELHI/CHENNAI - The DMK Monday criticised the United Progressive Alliance for keeping the Tamil Nadu government in the dark on the issue of slain Tamil Tiger leader V. Prabhakaran’s mother being deported Saturday night.

“Why the state government was kept in dark on this issue?” T.R. Baalu, Monday asked during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha.

Baalu, however, referred to Prabhakaran’s mother Parvathi Ammal as “that particular lady”. Baalu pointed out that she did not have any criminal background.

Urging the central government to clarify, Baalu said: “Why did the Indian high commission in Kuala Lumpur issue a visa to her?”

Parvathi, 79, suffering from paralysis, arrived in Chennai with an aide from the Malaysian capital Saturday night to secure medical attention in a city hospital.

Indian immigration officials refused her permission to alight from the aircraft and sent her back to Malaysia on the same plane because she was considered a law and order problem.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani supported Baalu and said it was not a good convention that the state government was not kept in the loop.

Meanwhile in Chennai, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunadhi said the state government is ready to help the Ammal get medical treatment in the state.

Karunanidhi told the assembly that he learnt from news reports that the ailing Ammal was at present getting medical treatment in Kuala Lumpur.

“If she declares that she would like to get medical attention in Tamil Nadu, then the state government would consider the request and accordingly write to the centre,” he said.

Prabhakaran’s parents lived in Tamil Nadu’s Trichy town for many years. They moved back to Sri Lanka in 2003 when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) led by Prabhakaran controlled large areas in Sri Lanka’s northeast.

After Prabhakaran was killed by the Sri Lankan military in May 2009, his parents were taken into custody. Subsequently, Prabhakaran’s father died and his wife moved to Malaysia.

According to Karunanidhi, the central government imposed a ban on Parvathi’s entry, based on the letter written by the AIADMK government in 2003.