Nothing political about Tamil meet’

CHENNAI: Breaking his seven-day-old vow not to respond to the statements of AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa hereafter, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Wednesday joined issue with her on the World Classical Tamil Conference.
The CM said the conference would put an end to the grouse that no such event was organised throughout the world for the past 14 years. The classical language status accorded on Tamil by the Centre had added special importance for convening such a conference, Karunanidhi said, and reiterated that Tamil scholars working for the conference knew well that the government had no political motive behind this move.
Referring to the criticism of Jayalalithaa that the World Classical Tamil Conference was not convened by the International Association of Tamil Research (IATR), Karunanidhi said the same fact would hold good for the eighth World Tamil Conference held during the previous AIADMK regime in 1995. Personalities like the Leader of the Opposition should conduct themselves in a responsible manner when it comes to Tamil language, its development and research, he said.
The announcement for the WTC was made in the budget for 1993-94. But the conference was not held in 1994 as decided. Instead, it was held only in 1995 and again the announcement about the meet was not made by the IATR. Further, only after the announcement, IATR president Noboru Karashima was invited to Chennai and the decision of the government conveyed to him.
Karunanidhi also observed that the decision to convene World Classical Tamil Conference in June, 2010 was taken in consultation with Tamil scholars. Six of the office-bearers of the IATR had approved the Classical Tamil Conference.
Karashima had expressed the view that the WTC could be convened in January, 2011. However, considering the general Assembly elections to be held in May, 2011, the Tamil scholars had agreed to cooperate with the efforts of the Tamil Nadu government.
Capt flays CM
DMDK president Vijaykanth on Wednesday flayed Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for holding World Classical Tamil conference in a hurried manner ignoring the suggestion of the International Association of Tamil Research that the meet could be held in January, 2011. In a statement here, he said CM was organising this conference only to cover up his wrongdoings on Lankan Tamils issue and as such.