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We'll take on Jayalalithaa politically: Elangovan

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Sept. 3. The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee will take on the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, politically for her "broadside" against the party and its president, Sonia Gandhi, without indulging in "mudslinging" like she did.

The people will give her a fitting reply in the next general elections for her `unbecoming' remarks, the TNCC president, E.V.K.S. Elangovan, told mediapersons here today.

The party would `expose' her administrative `lapses' and her `anti-people and anti-workers' policies. Ms. Jayalalithaa's fusillade against Ms. Gandhi was nothing but the outcome of her fear over the `growing strength' of the Congress in the State, especially after the merger with it of the Tamil Maanila Congress. She was acting as the `mouthpiece' of the BJP.

About the party's strategy in the Assembly, Mr. Elangovan said if any Congress MLA supported Ms.Jayalalitha, that legislator would not be a Congress worker at all. He, however, was confident that MLAs, who openly sided with the ruling party in the House previously, would change their attitude now.

S.R.Balasubramaniam, leader of the erstwhile TMC faction in the Assembly, said the united Congress legislature party would act as a `responsible' and `responsive' opposition.

The party would soon issue a directive to its councillors in local bodies, asking them not to blindly support the AIADMK administration.

Earlier in a statement, Mr. Elangovan narrated instances of Ms. Jayalalithaa having `betrayed' her mentor, M.G. Ramachandran, and levelled `baseless charges' against the late G. K. Moopanar, the former Governor, M. Channa Reddy, and Janaki Ramachandran.

Manishankar Aiyar condemns

The Mayiladuthurai MP and special invitee to the Congress Working Committee, Mani Shankar Aiyar, wondered whether Ms. Jayalalithaa still remembered the July 1, 2001 events, following the arrest of the DMK leader, M. Karunanidhi.

``At a time when the NDA Government was determined to dismiss the AIADMK Government and the then BJP president, Jana Krishnamurthy, openly said that if the Congress was prepared to cooperate there could be no difficulty in dismissing the government, Ms. Jayalalithaa sent emissaries to Ms. Sonia Gandhi requesting her to save her government. The Congress made its position clear and opposed any move to dislodge the Government. If the Jayalalithaa regime is still in power, it is because of the charity of Ms. Gandhi''.

Mr. Aiyar noted that Ms. Jayalalithaa was conscious that after the merger, the Congress emerged as the only party capable of providing an efficient and corruption-free government in Tamil Nadu.

That was perhaps why, the Chief Minister, instead of focussing on the problems of the people and the various agitations as well as drought, was defaming the Congress president.

Leaders and functionaries of the Congress Jananayaka Peravai also condemned her tirade against Ms. Gandhi.

In a joint statement, they noted that till now no leader had stooped so low to speak ill of another political leader.

When some Congress and TMC leaders in the State wanted to support Ms. Jayalalithaa in the 2001 election to make her Chief Minister, the CJP clearly warned them that she was ``incapable of providing good governance'' and the party was proved right.

`Tackle State's woes first'

The CPI described Ms. Jayalalithaa's remarks about Ms. Gandhi as an attempt to divert the attention of the people from pressing problems confronting the State.

In a statement, the State secretary, R. Nallakannu, said the Chief Minister would do well to concentrate on the problems, instead of touring the whole country to prevent Ms. Gandhi becoming Prime Minister.

There was no need to talk about the formation of a third front at the national level at this stage. ``That is an issue to be discussed at the time of elections depending on the situation prevailing then.''

The Government should prevent starvation deaths and take steps to deal with drought in the entire State, said Mr. Nallakannu.

Bid for `cheap publicity'

Our Madurai Special Correspondent reports:

In Madurai, the AICC secretary, G. K. Vasan, today termed Ms. Jayalalithaa's remarks against Ms. Gandhi an attempt to "divert attention from the burning issues in the State" and gain "cheap publicity" at the national level.

Addressing newspersons, Mr. Vasan said those who were unable to digest the "historic merger" of the TMC with the Congress were coming out with "false charges" against the Congress president.

The State Government, which had taken an `anti-people" course, was not in a position to find solutions to the agitations by weavers, teachers, government staff and students but was preoccupied with "personal problems".

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