Karnataka found a warm neighbour in Muthuvel Karunanidhi, says S M Krishna
BENGALURU: As a new sun rises over the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam which was led by Muthuvel Karunanidhi who died last week, former Karnataka chief minister S M Krishna, who had a five-decade-long association with the DMK president recalls the Dravidian leader's warmth and political acumen without whose co-operation the kidnapping of Kannada superstar Dr Rajkumar could have gone completely out of hand.
"Let me confess that if I had not got the kind of cooperation that Mr Karunanidhi offered as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and the moral and strategic support that he extended, I do not know the fate of Dr Rajkumar, or my efforts to ensure his release after more than 100 days in captivity," he told Deccan Chronicle in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. "He created the atmosphere for us to keep talking to Veerappan and secure the release of Dr Rajkumar," the former foreign minister said.
Reminiscing over his relationship with Mr Karunanidhi that dates back to the late 1960s when he was elected to Lok Sabha as a candidate of Praja Socialist Party (PSP) from Mandya, Mr Krishna told Deccan Chronicle how an affinity with the late leader intensified during a conference organized by the latter in New Delhi on the need for greater autonomy for states and how the federal government was usurping the economic powers of all states.
They kept in touch even though Mr Krishna subsequently joined the Congress and moved to state politics and was appointed industries minister in the cabinet headed by late Chief Minister D Devaraj Urs. The bond, only grew stronger when both leaders were occupying the post of Chief Minister in their respective states and forest brigand kidnapped late thespian Dr Rajkumar from his farmhouse in Gajanur in July 2000. Mr Krishna said Mr Karunanidhi agreed that Veerappan was as much a threat and menace to Tamil Nadu as he was to Karnataka.
He recounts with precision how an emissary, Nakkeeran Gopal, was convinced to meet Veerappan and negotiate the release of Dr Rajkumar, and howNakeeran's visit helped convey a message to people of the state that Dr Rajkumar was healthy and had not been tortured by the brigand. “I was watching a tennis match when a friend whispered in my ears that Veerappan had called on the cell phone. I tried to persuade him to let go of Dr Rajkumar in my broken Tamil, but the brigand was very firm that our government should meet all the demands which he had listed in a cassette sent through Nakkeeran Gopal. I told him that I will place the demands before my cabinet and take a decision. We heard that Dr Rajkumar was well and that he and Veerappan had launched a mini-orchestra.”
He said the late leader made every effort to secure the release of Dr Rajkumar. “He agreed to my suggestion to visit Bengaluru, address our cabinet and create confidence among our people about efforts to rescue Dr Rajkumar,” he said. The former chief minister said in contrast, Mr Karunanidhi's successor, Ms Jayalalithaa, made politically correct statements and lacked the warmth of the DMK leader. “I did not know her well so it was difficult to strike the kind of rapport I had with Mr Karunanidhi.
“In fact, Ms Jayalalithaa exacerbated the crisis by moving the Supreme Court and the NDA government in New Delhi over the sharing of the water of the river Cauvery at a time when Karnataka faced successive droughts for four years. With no solution in sight, Mr Krishna undertook a march from Bengaluru to Mandya to highlight scarcity of water in basin districts and gain the support of local residents en route. His government, however, was forced to release water following averdict by the apex court.
