The war of words between DMK president M. Karunanidhi and Chief Minster Jayalalithaa over purchase of Anna Arivalayam land continued with the former refuting the latter's allegation that the land owner Subburathinam Naidu was coerced to sell it to the DMK trust.
In a statement here, Mr. Karunanidhi recalled the ruling of Justice Sarkaraia to support his argument that the owners of the land were under no compulsion to sell the land to the DMK trust.
“In these circumstances, it cannot be said beyond doubt that the sellers were coerced or pressured to part with this valuable property at a gross under value,” he quoted Justice Sarkaria as saying.
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The former Chief Minister also said there was no truth in Ms. Jayalalithaa's allegation he was the lone trustee of the DMK trust and former Chief Minister M.G.R. was removed from the DMK because he questioned the coercion of the owners of the land.
M.G.R. was one of the trustees of the DMK trust, besides former finance minister V.R. Nedunchezhian, who was the general secretary of the party and Mr Karunanidhi himself. Mr. Karunanidhi said Ms. Jayalalithaa was not consistent in her allegations, first claiming that only Subburathinam Naidu had signed the sale deed though there were many partners and later changing her tack that there were as many as 18 partners and only 10 of them had signed in the deed after he refuted her allegations with evidence.
He said some of the partners were minors and their fathers had signed on behalf of their wards besides their own signatures.
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“Now she is questioning whether all the ten signatures were genuine or not. She can question because it was she who sought to disclaim her signature in the Tansi land deal case,” he quipped.