Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) While not directly commenting on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s remarks about DMK’s alleged links to the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, the Congress party Tuesday said no attempt should be made to politicise the issue.

“One thing needs to be clearly understood. We are extremely sensitive on the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. No attempt should be made to politicise such a dastardly incident,” Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said responding to queries about Jayalalithaa’s remarks.

“People should refrain from trying to politicise a tragedy of proportion which is undefinable,” Tewari said.

Asked if Jayalalithaa’s comments were unwarranted, Tewari said he had nothing further to add to the comments he had made.

Jayalalithaa told mediapersons in Chennai Tuesday that the DMK was indirectly behind the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Jayalalithaa added that she had been living under LTTE threat since 1991.

Congress leaders said privately that her remarks may be aimed at creating a wedge between the party and the DMK, but such comments were not likely to have any immediate impact.

They said that Congresss was in no mood to jeopardise its relations with the DMK, a United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partner, for the present and that a call on the alliance in Tamil Nadu would be taken closer to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

“I don’t think relations get reoriented in this manner,” a party leader said reacting to Jayalalithaa’s remarks.

He said if any person had evidence relating to the assassination, he should have approached investigating agencies.

They said that a multi-disciplinary monitoring agency (MDMA) constituted to probe the conspiracy angle in the assassination case was still functioning.

An LTTE woman suicide bomber killed Rajiv Gandhi May 21, 1991 in Sriperumbudur town near Chennai during a campaign rally.