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Even a week after the Tamil Nadu government sent documents containing evidence to prove Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader V Gopalaswamy's links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Union home ministry has not been able to make head or tail of them as they are in Tamil.
"We are getting the documents translated and will soon examine them to verify if the case against Gopalaswamy, popularly known as Vaiko, falls under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA)," Minister of State for Home Affairs I D Swamy told rediff.com.
Vaiko, a high profile politician from Tamil Nadu, became the first member of Parliament to be charged under POTA, the new anti-terrorism law that the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government enacted a few months ago.
The Vajpayee government has so far refused to comment on Vaiko's arrest.
"We will seek legal advise before commenting on whether POTA has been misused in Vaiko's case," the minister said.
So far, Swamy said, the home ministry does not have any evidence to suggest that Vaiko can be held under POTA.
"He is not a member of the LTTE though he has been a sympathiser of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, which, however, does not warrant arrest under POTA," he explained.
Everybody is entitled to espouse a cause and Vaiko has not done anything wrong by speaking up for Sri Lankan Tamils, the minister clarified.
However, POTA could have been used against Vaiko if he has been exhorting the Tamils in Tamil Nadu to join the LTTE and resort to violence, Swamy said.
"But so far, we do not have any evidence to prove that Vaiko has been doing something of that sort," he said.
He said there was no need for the Centre to ask the Tamil Nadu government to furnish details on Vaiko's arrest as 'law and order is strictly a matter concerning the state government'.
"There is no need on Jayalalithaa's part to even consult the Centre on arresting Vaiko," he added.
"She may have sent the evidence against Vaiko to the Centre as the MDMK is a constituent of the ruling National Democratic Alliance," Swamy said.
"If the central government finds that POTA has been misused in this case, then we will advise the chief minister accordingly," he added.
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