Jaya threatens to file defamation case on MK

Chennai, Nov 17: Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and the opposition AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa on Monday, Nov 17 threatened to file a defamation case against Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for his remarks that she was behind the bloody clash between the students of Dr Ambedkar Law College here on November 12.

Taking serious exception to Mr Karunanidhi's remarks that she would have instigated the clash between two groups of students to make a case for his resignation, Ms Jayalalithaa, in a statement here said the Chief Minister had unnecessarily blamed her in the fight and added she would file a defamation case against him. She said the Chief Minsiter's charge that she had instigated the clash was highly motivated at a time when his government ordered a judicial probe by retired judge Justice P Shanmugam into the incident and Madras High Court sought a detailed report on the clash, on a petition.

Stating that the Chief Minister owed an explanation for his ''irresponsible remarks'', she said the remarks made at a press conference in Coimbatore yesterday, amounted to giving an instruction to the Shanmugam Commission as ''his findings should be in this manner''.

The Chief Minister's remarks not only amounted to threatening the High Court, which was seized of the matter and the Judicial Commission, which was probing into the incident, but also amounted to diverting the course of the investigation in the case yesterday.

She said in the last 29 months, after the DMK came to power in May 2006, people of the state were facing innumerable hardships because of severe power cuts, price rise and deterioration of law and order. The Law college incident has shocked the people.

UNI