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Chances good for mid-term poll, says Karunanidhi

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Monday said chances of a mid-term poll to the Lok Sabha seemed very bright.

At the same time, he expressed confidence that Prime Minister A B Vajpayee would not yield to pressure from All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham chief J Jayalalitha and dismiss the DMK government in the state.

Addressing a mammoth public meeting in Tiruchirapalli, Karunanidhi said that in the event his government was dismissed, the DMK would seek justice in the Supreme Court. Further, he said, the people of the state would also fight any such move.

Referring to a walkout staged by AIADMK members in both Houses of Parliament demanding the dismissal of his government, Karunanidhi said it was nothing more or less than a joke.

He wondered whether Jayalalitha's concern, as also that of her party members, extended equally to the law and order situation in Assam where bridges were being blown up, Tripura where army personnel were being killed, and Hyderabad where there was a full-fledged communal riot going on.

Refuting Law Minister Thambidurai's allegation that the state government was not co-operating with the federal ministers from TN in implementing schemes sponsored by the Centre, Karunanidhi said the charge was the outcome of political vendetta.

Referring to the AIADMK threat to launch a state-wide agitation on June 15 to highlight the plight of farmers in the state, Karunanidhi said this was just a ploy by Jayalalitha to get the DMK government dismissed.

Listing various concessions granted to the farmers by the DMK government, Karunanidhi said there was no reason for the farming community to feel vexed with his government.

Addressing the question of skyrocketing prices of vegetables, Karunanidhi pointed out that it was a long, hot summer and vegetables were scarce. The prices should be down again within a week, he said.

Referring to the recent order by the special court attaching Jayalalitha's movable properties, Karunanidhi said such orders were routine in corruption cases, and did not merit special comment.

Jayalalitha was only "fooling" the people by alleging that his government was attempting to tarnish her image in the eyes of the people, and claiming that properties which were already attached were being confiscated again.

Clarifying that the DVAC had only filed a petition in the special court seeking an order preventing Jayalalitha from transferring or disposing of her property seized by it, Karunanidhi said it was the media that had wrongly reported the resulting order as "attachment".

On the AIADMK's reported plans to take to the streets protesting the order, Karunanidhi said as per information with the government, the intention was to create a law and order problem and then use that to buttress the demand for the sacking of his government. "If they do create a law and order problem, we know how to deal with it," he warned.

On state Janata Dal president G A Vadivelu's remark that the DMK neglected its alliance partners in the selection of candidates for the Rajya Sabha poll, Karunandhi said the DMK-led alliance in the state comprised five parties and, given the limited number of seats on offer, he was not in a position to satisfy all of them.

Referring to reports that the DMK would agitate against the Budget, Karunanidhi said such reports were baseless. The DMK has already commended the good features in the budget and criticised certain "anti-people" proposals, he pointed out.

UNI

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