Karuna refutes Jaya's charges on power issue

Refuting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's claim that no efforts were made to increase the state's power capacity during his government's tenure, Dravida Munettra Kazhagam president M Karunanidhi on Sunday said several projects to generate 7798 MW had been taken up.

"The various power stations that are reaching completion are the initiative taken by the DMK government when it was in power", the 89 year-old DMK patriarch said writing in his party organ 'Murasoli'.

Jayalalithaa while campaigning for the June 12 bypoll to the Pudukottai assembly had reportedly said the previous DMK government did not take any step to augment the state's power supply.

Karunanidhi said as soon as DMK came into power in 2006 steps were taken to generate 7798 MW through various projects and work on basic infrastructure for the projects commenced then.

He claimed that new factories were opened in the state from 2006. If the previous All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam government had taken steps to increase power supply, the present crisis would not have occurred and people would not have been forced to undergo such hardships.

He flayed Jayalalithaa's claim that it was only her party which took steps to increase the power supply, saying, "one cannot cheat everyone at all times".

He also slammed Jayalalithaa for announcing her party candidate for the Pudukottai assembly constituency "independently", without consulting her ally, the Communist Party of India.

The by-poll was necessitated due to the death of CPI Member of Legislative Assembly  S P Muthukumaran in a road accident on April 1.

"Jayalalithaa did not even ask her ally for courtesy sake, to nominate a candidate from her party, though the bypoll was necessitated due to the death of the CPI MLA. She announced her nominee independently", Karunanidhi said.

Just for the sake of political decency, Jayalalithaa should have discussed with her allies before announcing to field her candidate, he said. However, she was not inclined even to do that, Karunanidhi charged.