Kovai car blast: Summon me if you dare, Annamalai to TN govt

CHENNAI: State BJP leader K Annamalai dared the DMK government to summon him for inquiry in connection with the Coimbatore car blast and said he is ready to hand over documents in his possession to the government.

He, however, demanded the government to take stern action against senior police officers and state Home Secretary for not acting upon the Central government’s “specific alert” on terror attack with the name of an organisation.

Chief Minister M K Stalin should constitute a legislative committee to probe into the delay on the part of police officials and State Home Department to act upon the alert for four days. The government should lay out a white paper on the outcome of the panel’s probe. Action should be taken based on the report on officials concerned, Annamalai told media persons in Chennai on Saturday.

Claiming that the specific alert was given on October 18 to the state police, Annamalai said he got the document related to the alert on October 25. “I am not talking without document evidence. I met the media (on last Tuesday) after I got the copy of the alert (central government specific alert), ” he said.

He, however, said that he would not disclose the identity of the police official, who shared the documents with him.

He would make the copy of the alert public immediately after submitting to the government. The documents contain “earth shattering” information, Annamalai said, adding, “If I make the documents public, it will lead to sacking of senior police officers and the minister will also lose his position, ” he said and cautioned minister V Senthilbalaji and his cabinet colleagues not to meddle with him.

It may be recalled that minister Senthilbajali said the NIA should first inquiry the BJP state president over the car blast as he has more information regarding the terror attack. The minister also pointed that saffron party leader was trying politicise the sensitive issue to aid his party's growth.

Annamalai also wondered the reason behind the Coimbatore police commissioner's denial alert regarding the terror attack. He further said that the CM has been misguided by the police officers and they have informed the CM that he has been instigating the party cadres to create law and order issues to target the Muslims.

Referring to the 1998 bomb blast attack, he questioned why such terror attacks takes place during the DMK regime. “I request the Chief Minister to have a retrospective approach on the state law and order issues,” he further said.

When the journalists sought whether he seek apology for demeaning the journalists and likened them to primitives, he responded that he did not do anything wrong and there is no necessity to apologies. "I have due respect for journalists, but some political run media are targeting him," he claimed.

He also confirmed the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 11 to participate in a programme in Gandhigram Rural Institute in Dindigul district.