Hinting that her party should have a say in the functioning of the Central government that will be formed after the coming Lok Sabha elections, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa told party cadres here on Friday that if the problems of Tamil Nadu had to be solved and its rights protected, “the authority to direct the Central government to solve the problems should come to our hands”.
At present, the Congress-led United Progressive Government at the Centre is working against the interests of the people of Tamil Nadu, Ms. Jayalalithaa said at Kotagiri while addressing a public meeting organised to mark the 97th birthday celebrations of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) founder and former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran.
Listing out the issues on which the Centre had allegedly worked against the State, she said these included the Cauvery dispute with Karnataka, the Mullaiperiyar dispute with Kerala, the allocation of kerosene which was the main source of fuel for the poor and of the fishermen of Tamil Nadu suffering at the hands of Sri Lankan Navy personnel.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam would claim that it had no part to play in whatever the Centre was doing, as it had quit the alliance. But, the AIADMK cadres should expose both the DMK and the Congress with regard to the issues that concerned the State. Both parties should not get even a single seat in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, she told the cadres.
Exhorting party supporters to relentlessly work for the victory of the candidates chosen by the party, she said that she would also embark on a whirlwind campaign.
Pointing out that the AIADMK had come into being to send the DMK president M. Karunanidhi into political wilderness, she said that he had turned the party founded by C.N. Annadurai into his family property and sent out M.G. Ramachandran who had made him the Chief Minister. She added that though the DMK was part of the Centre for about 17 years during various regimes, Tamil Nadu had not benefited out of this. Mr. Karunanidhi had broken the alliance with the Congress knowing that the latter would not return to power.
About 7,076 persons from various parties joined the AIADMK on the occasion of MGR’s birthday, she said their hopes would be fulfilled and they would have bright future.
Among those who joined the party here in the presence of Ms. Jayalalithaa were the former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Member of Parliament from Chidambaram V. Kulandaivelu and some Congress functionaries of Gudalur.
Ms. Jayalalithaa paid floral tributes to a portrait of Ramachandran which was placed below his statue at Donnington and released a souvenir.
