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No change in stance: Jayalalithaa

By Our Special Correspondent

The Vice-Presidential candidate, Sushil Kumar Shinde, calling on the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, at her office in Chennai on Thursday. — Photo: Vino John

CHENNAI Aug 1. Insisting that there is no change in Tamil Nadu's opposition to the Cauvery River Authority, the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today said the decision to participate in the meetings of the monitoring committee and CRA was on account of the Supreme Court directive.

``Since it is a directive of the Supreme Court, the State Government has no choice,'' she told reporters.

Asked if she thought Karnataka was in a position to release water, Ms. Jayalalithaa said this could be discussed at the meetings of the monitoring committee and the CRA. Denying that there were starvation deaths in Tamil Nadu, she said such reports were false .

On her meeting with the Opposition candidate for the Vice- President, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Ms. Jayalalithaa said she had upheld the highest traditions of democracy. There was no other significance to the meeting, which was sought by Mr. Shinde.

Mr. Shinde said he met Ms. Jayalalithaa to seek her support. It was his duty as a candidate to seek the AIADMK's support. There were 11 more days to go for the Vice-Presidential election and anything could happen in that time, he said. He denied he saw any `signal' in Ms. Jayalalithaa's decision to meet him. There was no question of seeking an assurance or promise of support. He would also meet the Trinamool Congress leader, Mamata Banerjee, he said.

Though Ms. Jayalalithaa had recently reiterated her party's support to the NDA nominee and BJP leader, Bhairon Singh Shekawat, Congress sources still see a ``ray of hope'' in both the AIADMK and the TC. They seemed to be pinning hopes on the ``secular credentials'' of the parties.

Mr. Shinde, who was expected to call on some leaders of the Left parties and the DMK chief, M. Karunanidhi left Chennai without meeting any of them, a reason for the significance of his meeting Ms. Jayalalithaa.

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