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Fernandes meets Vaiko in prison

By Our Staff Reporter

VELLORE Feb. 7. The Defence Minister, George Fernandes, this afternoon had a 50-minute meeting with the MDMK general secretary, Vaiko, who has been detained in the central prison here under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

"I came as a friend, as a long-time friend," he told mediapersons, who besieged him immediately on coming out of the jail. He was replying to a question whether he came as an ambassador of the Centre to meet the MDMK leader.

"There will be a third time perhaps," Mr. Fernandes said when a reporter reminded him that he was meeting Mr.Vaiko in jail for a second time. He replied in the negative to a question whether Mr.Vaiko expressed his anguish at the Centre not condemning his arrest or taking effective steps to secure his release.

Asked whether the Centre had taken proper steps in connection with Mr.Vaiko's arrest under the POTA, Mr.Fernandes said it was the State Government, and not the Centre, which took action against the MDMK leader.

"It will depend on how the law takes take its course," he said to another question how long he thought Mr.Vaiko would be in jail.

"Is there any law which says I should not?" Mr. Fernandes shot back when he was asked whether it was proper on his part as a Union Minister to meet a POTA detenu in jail.

He then excused himself saying that he was in a hurry to fly back to Chennai and catch a Delhi flight. Earlier, Mr. Fernandes flew in here from Chennai by a Coast Guard helicopter.

A few minutes after Mr. Fernandes left Vellore, N.T.Shanmugam, Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, had a 25-minute meeting with Mr.Vaiko. He said it was a long time since he met Mr.Vaiko. "There is no political significance in the meeting", Mr. Shanmugam told The Hindu.

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