Fishermen issue: Karunanidhi takes a dig at Jaya

Chennai, Jul 22: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Tuesday, July 22, hit back at his bete noire and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa for dubbing as an ''eye wash'', the July 19 fast organised by his DMK to condemn the killing of Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Replying to a set of questions, he recalled Ms Jayalalithaa's remarks made during the 1991 Independence Day address that she would definitely retrieve the Katchatheevu from the island nation and asked what efforts she had made during her tenure as Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996 and 2001 to 2006 towards the same. ''After making the statement, she was in power for five years till 1996. And again she ruled the State for five years from 2001 to 2006. Has she retrieved Katchatheevu,'' he asked.

On BJP leader L K Advani's remark during the debate on the trust vote in Parliament that BJP would continue to hold talks with the US for implementing the Indo-US nuke deal, Mr Karunanidhi said it only reminded him of a story told by late Chief Minister and DMK Founder C N Annadurai that only the mother-in-law had the right to deny alms to a beggar and not the daughter-in-law.

He also had a dig at the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate for likening the Manmohan Singh Government to that of a patient in the ICU. ''It did not behove well on the part of a leader of Mr Advani's stature to talk like that,'' he added.

On reported dissatisfaction among the BJP-led NDA allies over projecting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati as the next Prime Minister, Mr Karunanidhi said those succumbing to passion on the basis of an enemy's enemy is a friend, would not meet with any success in a peaceful manner.

''I believe that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks that all steps taken by the Government, including on the nuclear deal, were in the interest of the nation, would result in victory,'' he added.

UNI