Tamil Nadu   

"Karunanidhi acting against State's interests"

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Jayalalithaa on Tuesday accused Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi of "acting against the interest of Tamil Nadu" on the Cauvery, Mullaperiyar and Palar check dam issues because of "his family's interest" in 12 television channels run by the Sun Network in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

In a statement here, she said Mr. Karunanidhi had given an "evasive reply" to her charge. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Government was not in a position to take a "pro-Tamil Nadu people stand on these three issues."

She asked Mr. Karunanidhi to explain who among his family members held shares in these companies; what was the total number of shares held by them; annual income of each of these shareholders; total revenue earned by all these companies annually; and the income generated by the cable television companies in each State.

Ms. Jayalalithaa dared Mr. Karunanidhi to make it clear if he would arrange for providing the Tamil version of news reports and interviews telecast by these channels in favour of the respective States on the Cauvery, Mullaperiyar and Palar check dam issues.

Chief Minister's reply

"My accounts are with the Income Tax office. If the Ms. Jayalalithaa wants to know them she could get in touch with the IT office," Mr. Karunanidhi said.

Replying to the AIADMK leader's demand that he (Mr. Karunanidhi) should make public the income details of Sun TV network and his connection with it, the Chief Minister said he and his wife were no longer shareholders of the network. Though they had held the shares a few years ago, they withdrew from the television organisation last year itself, he said at a free colour TV distribution function here. Mr. Karunanidhi said it was an irony that Ms. Jayalalithaa was asking him to show his accounts.

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