The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Not perturbed at "doctored" surveys: Jayalalithaa

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 07, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Not perturbed at "doctored" surveys: Jayalalithaa

S. Dorairaj

Says party is confident of forming government on its own Says party is confident of forming government on its own

— Photo: R. Ragu

ON THE LAST LEG: Chief Minister and general secretary of AIADMK Jayalalithaa campaigns at Zam Bazzar, Triplicane in Chennai on Saturday.

CHENNAI: As curtains came down on the campaign for the May 8 poll, the general secretary of the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, on Saturday concluded her 36-day electioneering on a positive note stating that her party would form a Government of its own after the elections.

She addressed several wayside meetings from her propaganda van in nine constituencies in Chennai. During her electioneering, she had covered 5,924 km, addressing 571 meetings and christening 387 children from March 31 to May 6, she said.

Replying to queries from newsmen shortly after she addressed her last campaign meeting in Saidapet constituency, Ms. Jayalalithaa said there would be no necessity to think about forming a coalition Government in the State. "The AIADMK with the support of people will win independent majority." "I am confident that the Democratic People's Alliance led by the AIADMK will have a sweeping victory winning a majority of the 234 seats in the State Assembly," she said.

Denying the charge that she was copying points mentioned in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) manifesto, Ms. Jayalalithaa said, "My promises are there for all to see. All my ideas are original and they have emanated from me."

On the pre-poll surveys conducted by different agencies in the State, she said the initial opinion polls indicated that the AIADMK and its allies would win the elections, which was the correct assessment. However, later the DMK arranged some "doctored" surveys in its favour. The AIADMK was not perturbed by them, she said.

Eariler, addressing meetings in Anna Nagar, Purasawalkam, Perambur, Egmore, Chepauk, Triplicane, Thousand Lights, Saidapet and Mylapore segments, Ms.Jayalaithaa promised that if the AIADMK was returned to power, the Government would convert the posts of school teachers and doctors based on consolidated pay and guest lecturer posts into ones based on time scale pay.

Since the State's finances had been re-railed, all the vacancies also would be filled as time scale pay posts, she said.

She accused the DMK of resorting to "doublespeak" on the issue of implementation of the value added Tax (VAT). She assured the small and medium traders that VAT would not be implemented in the State till an amendment acceptable to the parties concerned was brought forward by the Centre.

Ms. Jayalalithaa promised that the number of power connections to be given for agricultural pump sets would be increased to one lakh from 40,000 connections a year.

Taking a dig at DMK chief M. Karunanidhi for his promises on distribution of colour television sets and gas stoves, she said, it had been customary for him to reel out such poll sops. But even these would have to be implemented by her as in the case of his earlier assurances on bringing Veeranam water to Chennai and remunerative procurement price for sugarcane growers, she claimed.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail