Rajiv Gandhi Assassin Nalini Thanks Rahul Gandhi for Not Opposing Release, Prays Centre Shows Magnanimity

Chennai: Rajiv Gandhi’s assassin Nalini Sriharan, who has been in jail for over 25 years now, has thanked Congress president Rahul Gandhi for saying that he has forgiven his father’s killers and has no objection to their release.

In an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18 via letters, she said she would like to let her daughter know that she and her father would come home soon and they would all live in peace together.

Housed in a special prison for women in Vellore, she is serving a life sentence and already holds the unwanted record of being the world’s longest serving female prisoner.

“I pray that the central government acts with magnanimity. There are many painful events in my life and I want to forget all the pain. I want to spend the rest of my life with my daughter," she said.

The Tamil Nadu government has already hinted that it stands for the release of all seven convicts in the assassination case after the Supreme Court asked the state’ governor to consider the mercy petition of AG Perarivalan, another convict in the case.

Reacting to the court directive, Tamil Nadu law minister CV Shanmugam said that it was "the stand and desire" of late Amma (Jayalalithaa) that the seven convicts should be released.

Rahul Gandhi has, time and again, spoken on the issue and made it clear that he wants to move on, and the only way to do that is forgiveness. Recently, during a trip to Germany, he had said he and sister Priyanka were not happy after his father's killer, LTTE chief Prabhakaran was killed.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief Su Thirunavukkarasar also said party president Rahul Gandhi had made it clear that he did not hold any grudge against anyone

The Centre, however, had told the apex court last month that it does not concur with the Tamil Nadu government's proposal to release the seven convicts, saying remission of their sentence will set a "dangerous precedent" and have "international ramifications".

But Nalini said she was hopeful of release. “The Tamil Nadu government and the central government should work on the directions of the Supreme Court and ensure that we are released at the earliest. SC order saying it is Tamil Nadu government's right to decide on our release is a proud moment for us," she said.