Chennai: DMK MPs have been planning to move a privilege motion in Parliament against what they allege to be the misuse of their signatures on a letter sent to US President Barack Obama asking him to continue denying visa to Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP poll panel chief Narendra Modi.
The letter was purportedly signed by 65 MPs inclusing those from the DMK but the party now claimed that none of its MPs signed the letter. Party supremo M Karunanidhi had even issued a clarification last week. The DMK said it will move the privilege motion after consulting other parties.
DMK chief had said that action will be taken against any MP who is found to have signed the letter. "Will take action against DMK MPs if they signed petition against US visa for Modi. The DMK does not approve of interference in visa issue. DMK does not interfere with centre's foreign policy, and in internal affairs of a foreign country," Karunanidhi had said in his statement.
Even though many MPs had denied of signing the letter sent to US and had said that it was a cut and paste job, a forensic report in the US claims the letter is real. A California-based Forensic Document Examiner certifying that the signatures of the lawmakers are "original and authentic".
Independent MP Mohammed Adeeb, a signatory to the letter, has said that he stands vindicated. "Through media reports, I got to know that the US forensic lab has confirmed that there hasn't been any cut and paste. I never had any doubts. However, I am upset that my credibility was questioned," Adeeb said.
"Using accepted principles and methods of forensic examination, it is my opinion that the Q1-Q3 (three pages of Rajya Sabha MPs' letter) document was created in a single event, and that the signatures found upon it are original/authentic wet ink signatures," said the report after a forensic examination of the letter.
A similar finding was made in respect of the letter by Lok Sabha members. The forensic examination of the handwritings on the two letters to Obama by members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha on November 26 and December 5 last year respectively, which were re-faxed to the White House on July 21, was done by Nanette M Barto, approved Forensic Document Examiner, in California.
The examination was prepared at the request of Coalition Against Genocide (CAG) campaigning against Modi after some parliamentarians, notably CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, MP Achutan (CPI) and KP Ramalingam (DMK) denied having signed the letter to Obama.
(With additional inputs from PTI)
Comments
0 comment