Terming the death sentence for five Indian fishermen in Sri Lanka as a drama enacted by the island nation and the BJP government, MDMK chief Vaiko said there was no capital punishment in Sri Lanka since 1986.

 The awarding of death sentence and their subsequent release after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention was planned to boost the image of the BJP government at the Centre and blunt the opposition to Rajapaksa in Tamil Nadu, he alleged.

In his customary New Year press meet in Chennai, Vaiko denied allegations that the MDMK was involved in the stone-pelting incident before the Daily Thanthi office, against the telecast of an interview of the Sri Lankan President, and described such reports as “deliberate and planned lies”.

Two persons who threw stones at the office ran away from the spot, while all the MDMK cadre who participated in the agitation courted arrest, Express News Service reported.

Those who published the false report that Daily Thanthi office was attacked did not come forward to carry his rejoinder, he claimed.

Asked if it was proper to protest against a media interview, he said: “Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa committed the genocide of Tamils and subjected Tamil women to sexual torture. The interview was an attempt to project Rajapaksa in a positive light and it is our democratic right to hold a protest.”