Hitting out at AIADMK general secretary and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for her “anti-democratic style of functioning”, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram has asked the people to reject the AIADMK in the May 16 Assembly elections.
Addressing an election rally here on Sunday evening, he said the attitude of Ms. Jayalalithaa who was thrice elected to power and ruled the State for 15 years was completely anti-democratic.
Pointing out that the US President made it a point to meet the press thrice a week and the British Prime Minister made himself available for an open debate with the leader of the opposition every Wednesday, he said Ms. Jayalalithaa had never met print or electronic media during the last five years.
He recalled how former Chief Ministers such as Kamaraj, C.N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi visited every nook and cranny of the State and moved along with the people.
When people died in floods in Cuddalore, she just flew over the district and returned to Chennai. The people of the State gave her opportunity thrice but she would not change and there was no point in giving her a fourth chance, he noted.
The voters, especially the youth, educated and women, should ponder well and vote for the DMK-Congress combine for a transparent and democratic governance. Most of the promises made by the DMK and the Congress in their election manifestos were similar as the two parties were secular and shared the concerns of the backward class, Dalits and minorities, he said.
The opposition parties released election manifestos to list out their promises but the ruling AIADMK too had come out with a manifesto, copying the promises made in the DMK election manifesto.
