Jaya steps up
anti-DMK tirade
CHENNAI, Nov 7 (PTI)
A day after alleging a secret understanding
between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, AIADMK supremo
Jayalalitha today stepped up her demand for the dismissal
of the DMK Government even as the BJP dismissed the
charge as baseless.
The Tamil Nadu Government
also denied any secret deal between the Prime Minister
and the Chief Minister to save the DMK ministry.
Claiming that the recent
deposition of a senior Tamil Nadu police official before
a central tribunal admitted to LTTE activities persisting
in the state despite police action, Ms Jayalalitha said
in a statement that the deposition offered "enough
evidence" for dismissal of the Karunanidhi
government without any delay.
"Activities of the
outlawed LTTE have registered a manifold increase and
terrorism and anti-national activities are becoming
rampant in Tamil Nadu ever since Mr Karunanidhi took over
its administration," she said.
Ms Jayalalitha said
smuggled goods were seized from LTTE cadres along with
guns, pistols, wireless equipment and global positioning
systems while several militants were arrested in various
places in the state.
The AIADMK supremo also
cited references made in the Jain Commission report and
the serial bomb blasts in Coimbatore early this year to
claim that there was "sufficient evidence" that
anti-national forces had launched and intensified their
activities since Mr Karunanidhi became Chief Minister.
"Hence, I reiterate
that the Karunanidhi government should be dismissed in
the interests of national security," she said.
BJP spokesman M. Venkaiah
Naidu said in Delhi that there was no secret deal between
Mr Vajpayee and Mr Karunanidhi for reaching the accord in
exchange for not dismissing the DMK government.
"There was a perfect
understanding among the state governments and the people
of these states are happy over the Cauvery accord,"
he said.
BJPs Tamil Nadu unit
took exception to Ms Jayalalithas charge and said
the Prime Minister had the interests of Tamil Nadu in the
Cauvery issue and signing the accord had nothing to do
with the DMK governments performance.
In a statement, Tamil Nadu
Public Works Minister Durai Murugan said Ms
Jayalalithas allegation was aimed at diverting
peoples attention from the Madras High Court
verdict upholding constitution of special courts to try
corruption charges against her and her ministers.
Meanwhile, Tamizhaga Rajiv
Congress, a constituent of the AIADMK front in Tamil
Nadu, demanded dismissal of the Karunanidhi government
for "failure to check caste clashes in
the state.
An official statement also
denied as "baseless" Ms Jayalalithas
allegation that the Cauvery River Water Authority (CRWA)
lacked technical expertise to give effect to the
tribunals interim order.
CRWA, headed by the Prime
Minister, includes Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka, Kerala and Union Territory of Pondicherry, who
are assisted by their respective senior officers and
technical experts, the statement said.
"Therefore, there is
no question of the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and
Karnataka entering into any kind of secret
deal with the Prime Minister," it said.
Ms Jayalalitha had also
alleged that "this secret, presumably, is known only
to Vajpayee, Karunanidhi and J H Patel (Karnataka Chief
Minister), and nothing is going to change the ground
realities of the Cauvery dispute".
The statement explained
that the monitoring committee is headed by the Secretary,
Water Resources, and includes the Chief Secretaries of
the states concerned as its members.
Technical experts in the
committee include the Chairman of the Central Water
Commission (CWC), the Chief Engineer of the CWC is the
member-secretary of the monitoring committee, it said.
It also includes chief
engineers from the three states and Pondicherry to
provide the requisite technical inputs in assisting CRWA
in giving effect to the tribunals interim order.
"Thus the monitoring
authority is fully equipped with technical advice not
only from the CWC but also from the Chief Engineers of
the states concerned. Therefore, it is incorrect to state
that there is no technical expertise in CRWA," the
statement said.
CRWA as well as the
monitoring committee have already held one meeting each
where the problems were discussed by all concerned in a
free and frank atmosphere, it said, adding the
deliberations were open to all the members.
It further said the basic
objective of CRWA and the monitoring committee is to
ensure that enough water is made available to the people
of Tamil Nadu.
"If any side has
problems, it could write to the monitoring committee.
Tamil Nadu has indeed written to the monitoring committee
which in turn has communicated to Karnataka to do the
needful," it added.
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