FELICITATED: E.Madhusudanan, the new AIADMK presidium chairman, with party general secretary Jayalalithaa at the general council meeting near Chennai on Monday. — Photo: K. Pichumani

CHENNAI: All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazahgam general secretary Jayalalithaa on Monday justified her party's decision to boycott the by-elections to the Chennai Corporation Council.

Addressing the party general council at Vanagaram near here, Ms. Jayalalithaa said she had come to know that some members of her party regretted the decision. But, there had been no change in the composition of the official machinery even after the violence during the local body elections in October.

Her party would not contest any election to the local bodies so long as State Election Commissioner D. Chandrasekaran remained in office.

Ms. Jayalalithaa renewed the AIADMK's demand that fresh elections be held to all the wards of the Chennai Corporation.

She said the DMK Government would not last beyond the current year. There were indications that the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre would also collapse soon.

In the event of the AIADMK returning to power, it would cancel the elections to the local bodies and hold them in a democratic manner.Ms. Jayalalithaa blamed the DMK Government for having failed to protect the State's rights in the Mullaperiyar dam issue.

"No scope"

Referring to the criticism that the AIADMK regime had not taken steps to raise the dam level immediately after the Supreme Court judgment in February 2006, she said there was no scope for increasing it, as there had been no heavy rain in the catchments.

But, after the DMK came to power, the dam received copious inflow. Still, the Government did not raise the level.

Earlier, former Minister E. Madhusudanan was elected chairman of the presidium.

Resolutions adopted

A number of resolutions were adopted. The party criticised the State and Central Governments for the increase in the prices of essential commodities, "deteriorating" law and order situation and the Indo-United States civilian nuclear deal.

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