Stop personal attacks on seer: Uma tells Jaya

Press Trust Of India
Posted online: Monday, December 13, 2004 at 1055 hours IST

Chennai, December 13: Accusing the Tamil Nadu police of leaking stories to a section of the media on investigation into the Sankararaman murder case, in which Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswathi has been arrested, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharati on Monday challenged Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to take action against those responsible for it.

"When the government felt that the case (against the seer) is weak, many stories are coming out. Investigators are leaking them to a certain section of the media. I challenge Jayalalithaa. Let her suspend the investigators", she told a public meeting, organised in Chennai by the VHP to demand the release of the seer.

Wondering whether these kind of "personal attacks through leaks" did not amount to tampering with the judicial process, she asked the people of the state to take the arrest issue very seriously.

"This is an attack on the honour and dignity of the country. Both our economy and culture are under attack. The Kanchi mutt is the place of Adi Sanakra. We must wake up from sleep, unite and teach those responsible for this, a lesson."

Coming down heavily on Jayalalithaa, the suspended BJP leader described her as a "power hungry lady".

She also refuted DMK chief M Karunanidhi's remarks that she had not attacked the state government, but had only targeted Congress president Sonia Gandhi for the arrest.