NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
The Centre will not abandon its efforts to requisition the services of three senior Tamil Nadu police officials despite Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's refusal to release them, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders asserted on Monday.
"We have asked the state government for its concurrence in the transfer of the three police officials, but she (Jayalalithaa) has refused. That, however, does not mean the Centre will abandon its efforts to seek their transfer," BJP spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said.
"Union Law Minister Arun Jaitley has already said that the Centre can requisition the services of state policemen as and when necessary," he added.
The three Tamil Nadu police officers - Christopher Nelson, Muthukaruppan and S George - were involved in the arrest of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi on June 30.
"We are all for harmonious Centre-state relations, but we will not tolerate Jayalalithaa perpetrating atrocities on our alliance partners under the guise of maintaining law and order," BJP Lok Sabha member Rajiv Pratap Rudi said.
He said the Centre is convinced that the TN government is deliberately flouting its directives. "But there are other ways to bring the erring state government in line," he added.
BJP general secretary Narendra Modi indicated that the Central government has taken a serious view of the Tamil Nadu chief minister's refusal to release the three police officers.
"We are examining how these officers can be requisitioned. The Centre cannot obviously sit quiet and ignore such defiance," Modi said.
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