On the eve of the first conference of the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) in the city, the DMK on Saturday ran from pillar to post to ensure that it was conducted as scheduled.
The Gopalapuram residence of DMK chief M Karunanidhi woke up to an emergency meeting of senior leaders to discuss the future course of action following the City Police’s denial of permission to the conference, citing 11 reasons.
The DMK chief said all legal avenues would be explored till the last moment to hold the event. Following this, the party filed a petition before the Madras High Court and Justice Paul Vasanthakumar heard the case. But without passing any orders, he referred it to the Chief Justice.
During the arguments before Justice Paul Vasanthakumar, the DMK counsel submitted a letter from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which stated that the Centre had no objection for using the word Eelam by the TESO organisers.
Citing clarifications provided by the organisers, the MEA missive said it had no objection to the holding of the Eelam Tamils Rights Protection Conference. “However, the organisers are advised to ensure that the conference does not issue any declaration or outcome that calls into question in any manner the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of any foreign country with whom India has diplomatic relations,” the letter said.
Since the legal tangle was yet to be resolved, the DMK chief again went into a huddle with senior leaders and announced that the conference would be held at DMK headquarters if the court denies permission for the conference at YMCA grounds.
In a statement here, Karunanidhi said that the seminar would be held as scheduled at Hotel Accord. The DMK could hold public meetings from August 20 to 30 across the State explaining the resolutions adopted at the conference.