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Aiyar attacked after spat with CM

By Our Staff Reporter

The Mayiladuturai MP, Mani Shankar Aiyar, expressing his displeasure at the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa's response to his speech at a government function at Nagapattinam on Monday. — Photo: S. R. Raghunathan

Nagapattinam Oct. 13. The Congress MP, Mani Shankar Aiyar, was attacked at Vanchur, near Karaikal, by a group of persons, allegedly belonging to the AIADMK, as he was returning from a meeting addressed by the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, here today.

According to Mr. Aiyar, a couple of vehicles overtook his car and forced him to stop. The occupants then smashed up his car and tried to pull him out. In the melee, Mr. Aiyar's shirt was torn. Three of his partymen suffered injuries.

The Mayiladuturai MP's office here was also attacked by mobs, Congress sources said. The Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani, was informed of the incidents, they said.

Apparently, the AIADMK men were agitated over a spat between Mr. Aiyar and the Chief Minister, at the government function held here. When Mr. Aiyar, in his address, referred to the Cauvery dispute, she said it could have been resolved had the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, raised it with the Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, who too belonged to the Congress. Ms. Jayalalithaa taunted Mr. Aiyar, asking whether he would dare repeat the words he used in his writing about gifting of an elephant calf to the Guruvayoor temple. "I never speak in different voices on different platforms. I had a firm opinion about their party leader (Sonia Gandhi) and I had the guts to express the same in front of that leader. Does Mr. Aiyar have the courage to utter the same words he used in the newspaper article two years ago," she asked.

Later, Mr. Aiyar walked up to Ms. Jayalalithaa and tried to explain the context.

He was heard saying that he was now making demands as a representative of the people of his constituency.

He then left the venue in a huff.

At this juncture, the AIADMK men, who were sitting in the front row, raised their voice against the MP. Immediately, the Chief Minister called the AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP, K. Kamaraj, and told him something.

Mr. Aiyar said the attack by the AIADMK men exposed the fact that democratic behaviour ``escaped '' the party. The Congress leaders, including the TNCC working president, E.V.K.S. Elangovan, and the AICC secretary, G.K. Vasan, condemned the attack.

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