The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : A vote against `arrogance'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 16, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

A vote against `arrogance'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MAY 15. The former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president, S. Balakrishnan, MLA, today urged the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, to step down in the wake of her party's `humiliating defeat' in the Lok Sabha elections.

In a statement here, he said though it might be true the people wanted a change of government at the Centre, her "vulgar and personalised attacks" during the campaign and the anti-people policies of her government resulted in the AIADMK's poll debacle.

Nobody could deny that certain All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam nominees including T.T.V. Dinakaran of Periyakulam, who had earned the people's goodwill in the constituencies, were defeated as the electorate voted against them to condemn Ms. Jayalalithaa's "arrogance," Mr. Balakrishnan said.

Though the Chief Minister claimed that she need not quit her post on the ground that the AIADMK in 1980 and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1989 had suffered similar defeats, the then Chief Ministers, the late M.G. Ramachandran and M. Karunanidhi, had not indulged in personal attacks against the late Congress leaders, Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi, he said.

Ms. Jayalalithaa's "indecent criticism" of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, left deep scars in the minds of the people. It would be good for her to resign and allow some other person to assume office as Chief Minister, Mr. Balakrishnan said.

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