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Congress blames Jaya's 'somersault' on political compulsions

The Congress said on Wednesday that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's "infinite and instantaneous need to ingratiate herself with the Vajpayee government to extricate her from a number of criminal cases" was responsible for her attack on the foreign origin of its leader Sonia Gandhi.

Chief Congress spokesman S Jaipal Reddy told reporters, "It may be recalled that it was Miss Jayalalithaa who took the initiative to destabilize the Vajpayee government and lend support to the leadership claim by Sonia Gandhi."

The Congress, he said, wanted to know why the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary was now performing this 'U-turn', but went on to add that the compulsions for her somersault were obvious.

"I say this with a full sense of responsibility," Reddy said, "that Jayalalithaa gave a letter to President K R Narayanan, extending support to the Congress chief's leadership claim."

He pointed out that other opposition parties, including the Left, had similarly given President Narayanan letters of support for Gandhi to head an alternative government that never got formed, thanks to the opposition of Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party.

"Everybody should understand Jayalalithaa's compulsion for flogging a dead horse," Reddy said, adding that the issue had been settled by the Supreme Court.

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Arun Jaitley, however, said Jayalalithaa had restarted a debate on the political status of persons of foreign origin and welcomed it.

He said his party agreed with the Tamil Nadu chief minister's contention and pointed out that the issue was part of the National Democratic Alliance agenda.

He said the law on the subject could be changed through consensus.

Jaitley said the BJP had always been opposed to a 'foreigner' becoming Prime Minister of the country, and there was "a need to change the law".

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