In what could potentially embarrass the BJP in the election season, Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday differed with his ministerial colleagues on the alleged inaccessibility of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and said he had met her twice in the recent past and discussed (official) issues.
Recently, Union Minister of State for Power Piyush Goyal had charged that Tamil Nadu was functioning like a “State within a State” and that he found it difficult to get through to the Chief Minister even to discuss policy related issues. His statement was lapped up by the opposition including DMK president M. Karunanidhi who demanded an explanation from Ms Jayalalithaa. Soon, State Finance Minister O Panneerselvam and State Electricity Minister Natham R Viswanathan issued separate statements countering Mr. Piyush Goyal.
Union Minister of State for Environment Prakash Javadekar too levelled the charge that Ms. Jayalalithaa was inaccessible. When journalists asked Mr. Venkaiah Naidu here about these charges, he said, “They (Goyal and Javadekar) had spoken out of their experiences. I had met the Chief Minister twice in the past.” On the BJP contesting the elections alone , he said since the Union Government was not tainted the people would prefer his party as an alternative. On the prospects of the DMDK-PWF, he said, “They would not come to power as the MDMK and the Left are parties of the past.”
