AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa said the Congress should seriously ponder whether it should continue in the company of the DMK which had delivered “the worst administration ever” in Tamil Nadu, even as she asserted that there was still time for realignment of forces in Tamil Nadu.
“Today, corruption has become all-pervasive in Tamil Nadu. Basic freedom has been denied to the people. Everything, including the film industry and real estate, is monopolised by Mr Karunanidhi’s family, which is like an octopus spreading its tentacles everywhere. The Congress leadership should seriously ponder if it must remain in such company,” the former chief minister told this newspaper in an exclusive interview at her Poes Garden residence on Thursday.
Asked about the recent assertion by AICC general secretary Gulam Nabi Azad that his party would continue ties with the DMK, she quipped, “No comment on that now.”
“There is every possibility that the alliances could change. We cannot take it that everything is final and settled about the alliances at this moment. There is still a lot of time left,” Ms Jayalalithaa said, when asked how she hoped to win the state elections, due early next year, as her camp now only has the MDMK of Vaiko and the Left parties.
“If the elections are free and fair, it will be a sweep for the AIADMK and its allies; but as I say, the elections should be free and fair,” she asserted, pointing to the “massive” crowds at her rallies in Coimbatore (July 13) and Tiruchy (August 14). There were eight lakh people in Coimbatore and about 18 lakh in Tiruchy. While the media reported the successful rally in Coimbatore, it went silent about Tiruchy and she suspected that was due to pressure from the DMK government, Ms Jayalalithaa said. “The Tiruchy rally had created history as such a turnout was not witnessed anywhere in India.”
“The media is practically controlled by Mr Karunanidhi’s family. They have their fingers in every pie, not just the fingers but they want to grab the whole pie in most areas. There is no governance and the only concern is to make money. Elections are just a sham, a mockery,” said the former CM.