New Delhi, June 14
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday attacked Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and demanded his resignation for “getting himself elected to Parliament from Sivaganga constituency through fraudulent means.”

Addressing mediapersons on her maiden visit here after assuming the charge of her state, Jayalalithaa said: “Our party has always maintained that Chidambaram’s victory was through fraudulent means...His continuance as a minister is untenable. He was never elected to Parliament in 2009. He has played a fraud on the nation.”

When pressed further, she said, “There is no question of softening our stand on this issue. I am saying that in the first place he was not elected to Parliament.”

Curiously, the AIADMK supremo gave sufficient hints simultaneously that she was not averse to being approached for an electoral alliance by the Congress even as she pointed out that she cannot accept Sonia Gandhi’s invitation for tea as long as the Congress-DMK were in alliance and continue to share power at the Centre. “If anyone wants my support, they have to ask me,” she said.

However, when reminded about her declaration to support the Congress government at the Centre in November last year and whether the offer was still valid, she said: “The offer was made seven months ago. The situation was entirely different.”

Jayalalithaa’s ambiguous and enigmatic stand assumed considerable significance in the backdrop of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit - ostensibly carrying Sonia Gandhi’s “good wishes” - and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad’s visit to Tamil Nadu house last evening within minutes of her arrival in Delhi.

When asked if she thought that the Central Government behaved appropriately in the Ramdev episode, she said: “You should ask that question from the Central government.”

Turning to her rival DMK, she said M Karunanidhi, his family and other senior leaders of party were feeling the heat now because of corruption in the previous regime. “All cases against the DMK and its members have been initiated by the Centre. No case was filed either by me or by party members,” said Jayalalithaa.

She demanded the resignation of Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran, who is facing allegations of a quid pro quo in Spectrum allocation to Aircel.

Our party has always maintained that Chidambaram’s victory was through fraudulent means...His continuance as a minister is untenable. He was never elected to Parliament in 2009

— J Jayalalithaa, TN CM

She knows that her candidate Raja Kannappan has filed an election petition in the Madras High Court which is pending since September 2009. Therefore, her statement is gross contempt of court

— P Chidambaram, Home Minister