Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Neutral police officials need not fear, says Jayalalithaa

Special Correspondent

AIADMK general secretary says party will return to power soon

EXUDING CONFIDENCE: AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa flashes her party's two leaves symbol at an election meeting in Coimbatore on Wednesday. MDMK general Secretary Vaiko is also in the picture. — Photo: K. Ananthan

COIMBATORE: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Jayalalithaa on Wednesday assured police officials that when her party returned to power, she would withdraw all cases that the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) "threatened" to file against them if they did not foist cases on the AIADMK cadres to scuttle the party's electoral prospects.

Addressing an election meeting here along with Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko, Ms. Jayalalithaa said police officials might be in a dilemma because she had warned of action against those partial to the DMK, while the DMK had also threatened suspension, inquiry and dismissal.

"I assure you that if you are neutral, I will withdraw all the cases filed against you. The AIADMK will return to power soon as the DMK has formed only a minority Government," she said. "I am not asking you to support us now. But you must be neutral," she said. Ms. Jayalalithaa also alleged that hospitals were being asked not to make public the exact number of chikungunya cases. Only half were being declared as chikungunya cases. The rest were shown as viral fever, she said.

Using the description "minority Government" throughout her speech to say that the DMK would lose power soon, Ms. Jayalalithaa called upon the people to give a fresh life to democracy by voting in large numbers for candidates of the AIADMK, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and their allies in the local body elections.

Denying Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's charge that she did not clear many files while in power, Ms. Jayalalithaa alleged that when she returned power in 2001, she found that Mr. Karunanidhi had not cleared 5,000 files while he was Chief Minister from 1996.

"I did not speak of this owing to political decency and oath of secrecy. Had I demanded a White Paper on these files, he will not be able to show his face to the people now," she said.

MDMK general secretary Vaiko said the fear of defeat in the local body elections had gripped the DMK. That was the reason for the indirect elections to the post of Mayor. The DMK wanted to capture Ripon Buildings (the Chennai Corporation headquarters) and the mayorship in other cities through this approach. When Ms. Jayalalithaa demanded an anti-defection law to prevent horse-trading for the Mayor's post, the Government did not accept it. This only showed that the DMK wanted to take a short cut to power. Mr. Vaiko accused Mr. Karunanidhi of "criminal negligence" for denying there were chikungunya cases when the disease broke out across the State.

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