Will BJP release terrorists who killed ex-PM Rajiv Gandhi, asks Congress

A day after the Tamil Nadu government recommended the release of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassins, the Congress on Monday asked the BJP whether it was trying to release the killers of the former PM with the help of "friend" AIADMK and their appointed governor.

“Will BJP now with help of friend AIADMK and their appointed governor release terrorists just because they murdered former PM Rajiv Gandhi?” Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked.

The response from the Congress party came after Tamil Nadu minister D Jayakumar, in a press note, said that the state government will send a recommendation to release the assassins to Governor Banwarilal Purohit.

Also Read | Tamil Nadu recommends mercy for Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts

The move by Tamil Nadu government came after the Supreme Court asked Governor Purohit to decide on the mercy petition of AG Perarivalan. The AIADMK government, however, will seek the early release of all seven convicts, citing their petition regarding this.

The seven convicts - Perarivalan, Murugan, Santham, Nalini Sriharan, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran – are currently serving a life sentence. They have been in jail for the last 27 years.

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The former prime minister was assassinated by LTTE bomber Dhanu in 1991. The subsequent conviction of the seven accused has been a contentious issue in Tamil Nadu with a large section of people in the state believe that they were not fully aware of the plot.