Chennai, Oct. 26 :    Chennai, Oct. 26:  As the Bofors controversy erupted in Parliament, chief minister M. Karunanidhi waded into a potential political minefield down south, saying he favoured grant of clemency to the four sentenced to death in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. What began as a run-of-the mill press conference slid into the assassination quagmire today when Karunanidhi said: ?I have always been against the death sentence. Whatever the heinous crime one is convicted for, he or she should be sentenced to a life term. That will give them an opportunity for introspection and to reform themselves over a period of time.? Pressed whether his remarks applied to the four condemned in the Rajiv case, Karunanidhi said: ?They very much do.? The chief minister?s personal views on the issue would not have raised eyebrows but for the fact that the mercy petitions of the four on the Vellore jail death row ? Nalini, Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan ? are now lying before Governor Fathima Beevi. Governors, who have the power to commute the death sentence, usually go by the recommendation of the respective state governments. With Karunanidhi taking a public stand against the death sentence, an unexpected dimension has been added to the case. Karunanidhi?s initially casual comment at the press conference, originally scheduled to announce certain administrative decisions, could also prove embarrassing to the Vajpayee government, which is now fighting to fend off charges of bias against the former Prime Minister. BJP vice-president J.P. Mathur said in Delhi that ?Karunanidhi has raised an important issue. But a sort of consensus has to be developed at the national level before my party can give its reaction.? Karunanidhi?s statement could revive the controversy that reached a flashpoint when the Jain Commission, which looked into the assassination, made some critical references to the DMK, and set off a chain of events leading to the fall of the United Front government. Later, the Vajpayee government had taken the DMK off the indicted list following the discovery of an error. But, ever since, Karunanidhi has been cautious and had welcomed the Tada court verdict which sentenced all the 26 accused to death. Asked whether the verdict was harsh, Karunanidhi had said then: ?Rajiv?s killing too was a terrible act.? The public statement today is also being seen as an attempt by the DMK to keep its allies in good humour. Karunanidhi?s two allies, the MDMK and the PMK, have often been accused of being supporters of the Lankan Tamil Tigers, who masterminded and executed Rajiv?s assassination plot. The two parties are also reported to be lobbying for clemency to the four prisoners.