Congress out of sync; says we are not DMK

NEW DELHI: The Congress here was far more ambivalent in articulating its stand on the issue of the execution of the three Rajiv Gandhi assassins as compared to its State party unit in Chennai.Even as ally DMK and other regional parties in Tamil Nadu stepped up their campaign to get reprieve for the three convicts facing death sentence, Congress national spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi refused to make a direct comment. All he was ready to say was “We are not DMK!’’ He also refrained from getting into a debate on the whether the Tamil Nadu Assembly erred in adopting a unanimous resolution moved by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, or whether the State legislature had encroached on the supreme authority of the President on this issue.However, Union Law Minister Salman Khursheed did not hide behind “this is a purely constitutional, legal, administrative issue” line. Putting across the Centre’s view, he was quite categorical.“The State government resolution is not binding on anyone,’’ he said.Khursheed evaded questions on the HC order staying the execution, scheduled to take place on September 9, for eight weeks.  Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said, “It would not set a right precedent, persons committing heinous crime cannot be let off or their punishment/executive delayed for extraneous reasons.”  He, however, underlined that it was his “very personal view’’.With no stakes in TN politics, JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav was more strident. He said, “It should not be forgotten that it is the assassination of a former prime minister that we are dealing with.’’