Permission not needed to speak about extremists' presence: Pon Radhakrishnan

Chennai: Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan has lashed out at State Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar saying he does not require permission from anyone to speak about the presence of extremists and terrorists in Tamil Nadu.

“I am one among those born in Tamil Nadu. There is no need to follow rules to protect Tamil Nadu or even obtain permission to speak about the presence of terrorists. Yes, there are terrorists (in Tamil Nadu). The Tamil Nadu chief Minister and even police chief have spoken about it,” Mr. Radhakrishnan said on Saturday. Speaking to reporters at Mandaikadu near Nagercoil in his Kanyakumari district, after visiting the Sri Bhagawathy Amman temple, the Minister said none of the extremists have been arrested by the State government so far.

“Not even a single extremist was arrested by the Tamil Nadu government. All the arrests were made by the Centre so far,” Mr. Radhakrishnan emphasised. Earlier while reacting sharply to his remarks, Mr. Jayakumar had said Mr. Radhakrishnan “should not speak like a man on the street.”

Pointing at the numerous shops near the temple, located close to Colachel, Mr. Radhakrishnan said it was wrong to permit shops inside or near the temple premises. “The State government should not allow shops inside temple premises. A government that encourages this is something similar to running  a chit fund company. For no reason, the government should allow the shops,” he said and added that it was this was his “view.” He also appealed to the government to evict all the shops within a month’s time.

“Don’t convert temples into markets. Don’t create new modes of worship for the devotees to serve your pecuniary advantage,” Mr. Radhakrishnan warned.