Chennai, Apr 20 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Monday divulged from his earlier stand on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, and said that one cannot forget that LTTE was behind former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi''s death.

Speaking to reporters here, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) supremo said that he never disagreed on the fact that LTTE was a terrorist outfit. He said that the LTTE did not start as a terrorist group, but became one over time.

"Prabhakaran was a freedom fighter who later turned into a terrorist, my statement was misinterpreted," said Karunanidhi.

"I never said LTTE is not a terror group... I expressed concern for the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka," he clarified.

"We cannot forgive the LTTE for killing Rajiv Gandhi... Sriperumbudur cannot be forgotten," added Karunanidhi.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV on Sunday, Karunanidhi had said, "Prabhakaran is my good friend, and I am not a terrorist."

"Some people involved in Prabhakran''s group may be involved in terrorism. But that is not Prabhakaran''s fault... The LTTE''s goals are legitimate and genuine, to bring about Tamil Eelam, but terrorism crept into the outfit," he said.

The comments had apparently caused embarrassment to the Congress, forcing Karunanidhi to clarify himself. (ANI)