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Strategies & Market Trends : India Coffee House -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JPR who wrote (9647)	11/18/1999 7:10:00 PM
From: JPR	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12475

Sonia against death for Rajiv assassin SANJIV SINHA expressindia.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW DELHI, NOV 18: In a gesture of compassion, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has asked President K R Narayanan to commute the death sentence of Nalini, one of the four persons on Death Row for assassinating her husband, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Last week, Sonia had a private meeting with the President where she conveyed to him her view that Nalini be spared since she was a mother. This was announced Thursday by National Commission of Women chairperson Mohini Giri. Giri said she met Sonia last week to ascertain her views on commuting Nalini's death sentence and was told by her that she had already written to the President in this regard. The former NCW chief, who now runs a non-government organisation called Guild of Service, said that she had forwarded a mercy petition to the President last week to spare Nalini the gallows to save her eight-year-old daughter from becoming an orphan. Besides Nalini, her husband Murugan and two others, Perarivalan and Santhan, have been sentenced to death inthe Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. In fact, even the Congress was taken by surprise by Sonia's request to the President. Party spokesperson Ajit Jogi had no idea of this when journalists brought it to his notice for confirmation at the routine media briefing. Later, Jogi had to seek an official communication from 10 continued on page 9Janpath in which it was stated that ``Sonia Gandhi, during a private visit with the President, had conveyed to him her feelings as well as those of her son and daughter that Sonia against death for Rajiv assassin Nalini's life be spared as she is the mother of a small child.' Sources close to 10 Janpath said the mercy plea for Nalini as well as the three others convicted in Rajiv's assassination had been flooding Sonia for quite sometime. At the May All India Congress Committee session, some delegates from Tamil Nadu had reportedly put foward this demand to Sonia but were shouted down by their more emotional colleagues. Pattali Makkal Katchi president P K Ramadoss isalso believed to have written to Sonia Gandhi, asking for her intervention to commute the death sentence handed out to Nalini and three others. But her final decision to request the President to spare Nalini's life was taken within the family. ``Since Rajiv's assassination has been a very emotional issue with the Gandhi family, she must have arrived at this decision only after ascertaining the views of Rahul and Priyanka,' a senior party leader pointed out, adding that the party had nothing to do with this. The fact Sonia made the request in her capacity as the widow of the former Prime Minister is apparent from the fact none in the party, even those considered close to her, were aware of it. Party leaders feel there is nothing political in her request. That is why, they say, not only was any party leader consulted on the matter but the request itself was kept under wraps. ``If it had to be political, the party would have known of it and an announcement to the effect made from the party's rostrum...the request only reflects the private sentiments of the Gandhi family.' This is also apparent from the fact that Sonia has sought clemency only for Nalini and not for her husband and the other two accused. ``It's a gesture of a woman widowed by the ugly hand of assasination to another woman whose death will leave behind an orphan,' said a party leader. Nalini, interestingly, was the back-up human bomb in case Dhanu, who carried out the assassination, failed. Janpath in which it was stated that ``Sonia Gandhi, during a private visit with the President, had conveyed to him her feelings as well as those of her son and daughter that Sonia against death for Rajiv assassin Nalini's life be spared as she is the mother of a small child.' Sources close to 10 Janpath said the mercy plea for Nalini as well as the three others convicted in Rajiv's assassination had been flooding Sonia for quite sometime. At the May All India Congress Committee session, some delegates from Tamil Nadu had reportedly put foward thisdemand to Sonia but were shouted down by their more emotional colleagues. Pattali Makkal Katchi president P K Ramadoss is also believed to have written to Sonia Gandhi, asking for her intervention to commute the death sentence handed out to Nalini and three others. But her final decision to request the President to spare Nalini's life was taken within the family. ``Since Rajiv's assassination has been a very emotional issue with the Gandhi family, she must have arrived at this decision only after ascertaining the views of Rahul and Priyanka,' a senior party leader pointed out, adding that the party had nothing to do with this. The fact Sonia made the request in her capacity as the widow of the former Prime Minister is apparent from the fact none in the party, even those considered close to her, were aware of it. Party leaders feel there is nothing political in her request. That is why, they say, not only was any party leader consulted on the matter but the request itself was kept under wraps. ``If ithad to be political, the party would have known of it and an announcement to the effect made from the party's rostrum... the request only reflects the private sentiments of the Gandhi family.' This is also apparent from the fact that Sonia has sought clemency only for Nalini and not for her husband and the other two accused. ``It's a gesture of a woman widowed by the ugly hand of assasination to another woman whose death will leave behind an orphan,' said a party leader. Nalini, interestingly, was the back-up human bomb in case Dhanu, who carried out the assassination, failed. Copyright ¸ 1999 Indian Express