Go by conscience: Jayalalithaa

AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa addressing an election meeting near Tiruchi on Sunday.

AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Sunday exhorted the people to heed their conscience while voting in the coming Assembly elections.

In supporting the AIADMK-led alliance the people will render yeoman's service to the State, she said.

Addressing an election rally at the Municipal Thiruvalluvar Playgrounds here on Sunday, Ms Jayalalithaa reminded the voters of the several “acts of omission and commission'' by the DMK during the past five years and said the people should take the prevailing situation into consideration while voting.

Terming the coming elections as “a chance for deliverance from the misrule of the past five years'', Ms. Jayalalithaa claimed that instead of containing prices, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi aided their escalation.

From essential commodities to petroleum products and edible items, all suffered exorbitant rise in prices rise to the detriment of the people's interest, she said.

The AIADMK leader contended that the DMK rule had plunged the State into a power crisis, a far cry from the days when it was power-surplus.

The precarious power situation had cost lakhs of people their jobs and livelihood, Ms. Jayalalithaa claimed, adding that there would be a turnaround if the AIADMK was voted back to power. Criticising the “dominant role” played by the family members of the Chief Minister in State administration, Ms. Jayalalithaa alleged that they controlled practically every sphere of activity.

The coming election was a watershed in that the suffering masses now had a chance to put an end to their misery “by heeding their conscience in exercising their franchise''.

Alleging that a sand mafia was looting natural resources, the former Chief Minister said she would put an end to illegal sand mining activities if voted back to power. The looters would be brought to book, she said.

Ms. Jayalalithaa also promised to fulfil the long-pending demands of the populace in Karur district.

The needs of the textile industry, in particular, would be addressed expeditiously, she said.