Sunday, November 20 2005 14:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Sivaganga (TN): Union Finance Minister P Chidambarm has disagreed with the protests against film actress Kushboo for her remarks on pre-marital sex by women, saying freedom of speech cannot be curtailed.

"There is no need for one to react to another's views. I am not to going to comment on it. But, in India one has got the right to speech and freedom to express views. Attempts to curtail or take away these cannot be accepted," he told reporters here last night (Nov 19, 2005) when asked for his reaction to Kushboo 's recent comments to a magazine.

Kushboo is facing a volley of court cases and protests over her comments on pre-marital sex published as part of a sex survey in the magazine.

To a question on the recent protest against Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar at Sirkazhi in Nagapattinam district by AIADMK men, Chidambaram said whenever their party was in power the AIADMK workers 'become intolerant'. They should learn to be tolerant.

Asked about Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's remark that she had an open mind on alliances for the next year assembly elections, the Congress leader said the DMK-led DPA was 'strong' and 'disciplined' and "nobody is prepared for an alliance with the AIADMK headed by Jayalalithaa".