Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa asserted that her decision to support Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s sadbhavana fast for communal harmony is in line with her AIADMK’s “policy of secularism and communal harmony and peace” and “an expression of goodwill”.
“Mr Modi has announced that he is going on a fast for communal harmony and peace and unity. This is also in line with our policy of secularism and communal harmony and peace,” she said during an informal chat with mediapersons after garlanding a statue of rationalist leader Periyar E.V. Ramasamy on the latter’s 133rd birth anniversary here on Saturday. “Mr Modi spoke to me over the phone and asked me to send somebody to facilitate his fast. So I have decided to send our two members of Parliament group leaders, Dr Thambidurai and Dr Maitreyan,” she said.
She was reacting to queries about her support to Mr Modi’s fast. Asked if this meant a change in the political dynamics, she shot back, “Not at all. You are reading too much into it.”
This was just an expression of goodwill and there is nothing to find fault with this fast, because, it is for the expressed purpose of maintaining communal, peace and harmony.”
Would she support him as a prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls? “This is a hypothetical question. I will answer such question when such a situation arises,” she said.
On the Bangalore high court quashing further investigations into the disproportionate wealth case, she said she did not consider this a setback and that she would appear on October 20. “Our lawyers are handling the case well. I don’t view it as setback... appearing in various courts is nothing new to me,” she added.