Saturday, May 28 2005 16:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: In a bid to nip the controversy over the Union Home Ministry's annual report indicating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) activity in Tamil Nadu, the Centre today (May 28, 2005) said it would not "like to malign or blame any leader or Government."

"Through the annual report, we would not like to malign or blame any leader or Government. If some such interpretation is attributed to the report, I think it need not be accepted and the correct interpretation should be put on record," Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said in a letter to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in response to her May 22 letter.

On May 22, Jayalalithaa shot off a letter to Patil denying that the LTTE's activities had been facilitated by her State. The Ministry's 2004-05 report had said the LTTE "continues to use Tamil Nadu as a base for carrying out smuggling of essential items such as petrol and drugs to Sri Lanka."

Jayalalithaa said that the "innocuous" information was blown up by certain sections of the media and dismissed the demand for action sought by Janata Party president Dr Subramaniam Swamy. She said her apprehension was that there was "a concerted move to denigrate the State Government despite its firm and uncompromising stand against the LTTE."

In his letter, a copy of which was made available to the press, Patil said, "You may please rest assured that we would not misuse any factual position to malign anybody. We know the stand taken by you in these matters."

He said what she had stated at the recently held Chief Minister's meeting in Delhi, which was also attended by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, "Was appreciated by one and all. Your suggestions were very correct and implementable. To the extent possible, we would like to act on these suggestions," he said.