Poll prediction manipulated by AIADMK: DMK chief

Chennai, Mar 15: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President M Karunanidhi today (Mar 15, 2006) accused state intelligence of trying to manipulate public opinion by commissioning a weekly to come out with a survey projecting the AIADMK's victory in the May eight Assembly elections.

In a letter to party cadre, he charged that the state intelligence was all set to launch a mischievous, disinformation campaign that the prospects of Ms Jayalalithaa's victory were bright, notwithstanding their own survey, which was not encouraging to the ruling AIADMK.

He said intelligence agencies had conducted four surveys and all of them were not in favour of the AIADMK. This had terribly upset the party high command, the DMK leader alleged.

The recent survey report sent to the Chief Minister had said that 'as on date, there is not much of a change in the election scene in Tamil Nadu from my earlier report. The coming over of Vaiko to the AIADMK front has not made any substantial difference,' Mr Karunanidhi said, quoting exerpts of the report.

It was in this backdrop that the intelligence department was trying to manipulate public opinion and had commissioned a weekly to come out with a survey, projecting victory for the AIADMK, he added.

According to his information, the weekly would come out with the 'fresh survey' in one or two days, Mr Karunanidhi said, adding, the same weekly, a few months ago, carried reports that the DMK-led alliance would sweep the poll, securing 60 to 70 per cent of votes. Alleging that the state intelligence was fully geared up to use this 'manipulated survey' report as the main tool in the elections and spread false propaganda, the DMK leader exhorted his cadre to be wary of the 'evil design' and work towards victory.

Cautioning party workers not to become over confident after seeing the intelligence report, which did not project a victory for the AIADMK, he said they should realise that they should toil for victory and victory lay only in their sweat.

Repeating his charge that the MDMK had taken the decision to join the AIADMK front in January itself, he said when DMK Treasurer Arcot N Veerasamy went to Mr Vaiko's house to invite him for the Tiruchirapalli conference, the latter had told him that he would not be able to attend the meet if the MDMK was not given 25 seats.

Even after this he did not give up his efforts to retain the MDMK in the front and spoke to Mr Vaiko over the phone, but to no avail, Mr Karunanidhi said. 'Only at the last minute we came to know that Mr Vaiko would not be coming to the Tiruchirapalli conference', he said.

As per Ms Jayalalithaa's orders, they planned to give a shock to DMK cadre by joining the AIADMK when the conference was going on, but to their dismay, the Vaiko episode did not trigger any shock. As partymen knew it was on the cards, they took it in their stride, the DMK supremo said.

UNI