NEW DELHI, Nov 9: Former CBI joint director K Madhavan, involved in the investigation of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, on Sunday claimed that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was ``definitely not guilty'' of either conspiring or colluding with the LTTE.

``Neither Karunanidhi nor the DMK can be blamed for Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. Gandhi himself was responsible for what happened on that tragic day,'' Madhavan said in a statement in New Delhi.

He said the proceedings of the Jain Commission were nothing but ``wastage of public time and money. It has produced nothing worthwhile after five years of simulated toil.''

Elaborating his comments that Rajiv Gandhi himself was responsible for what had happened, Madhavan said Rajiv had ``scant regard'' for security.

Meanwhile, former prime minister Chandra Shekhar tonight said he had asked Karunanidhi to take preventive action against LTTE activities including arms smuggling.

``I met Karunanidhi thrice over the way LTTE was extorting tax from public in utter disregard of law and the way arms were sent to Sri Lanka from Tamil Nadu. I had asked him to stop it,'' Chandra Shekhar said, adding Karunanidhi expressed his inability, upon which I gave some suggestions to solve his problem. `' Somehow LTTE got to know of these suggestions.''

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.