NEW DELHI, 16 April 2008 — The daughter of slain former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi last month visited Nalini Sriharan, the only conspirator who remains jailed for Rajiv’s assassination in 1991, family members said yesterday. Priyanka Vadra, who is also the daughter of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, has hit headlines after meeting Sriharan on March 19 at Vellore Central Prison, where she is serving life imprisonment.
“It was purely a personal visit on my own initiative, which must be respected. I do not believe in anger or violence, and I refuse to let it overpower me. Meeting Nalini was my way of coming to terms with my father’s death,” Priyanka said. During the meeting, Priyanka asked why her father was killed and said the grievances could have been solved through talks.
Rajiv was killed by a Tamil Tiger woman suicide bomber in revenge for his decision to send Indian peacekeepers to Sri Lanka.
A Special Court sentenced Sriharan, 43, to death for her involvement in the assassination. However, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment after Sonia petitioned for clemency for the sake of Sriharan’s daughter, who she gave birth to in prison.
Sriharan’s husband was one of four people executed for their involvement in the assassination.
Supporting his sister’s decision, Rahul, who is a Congress party legislator, said, “We don’t carry hatred. We don’t carry anger. It’s not an exercise. She felt that she wanted to go and see the person. She has been feeling it for some time.”
Asked whether he would meet Sriharan, Rahul replied, “I have a different way of looking at these things.”
News of the secret meeting was leaked following an application filed by Chennai lawyer D. Rajkumar seeking information about it under the Right to Information Act.
Rajkumar sought information on which legal provision Priyanka was permitted to meet Sriharan, who accompanied her, how long the meeting lasted and what the two women spoke about.
