FM condemns Jayalalithaa's statement on Sonia Gandhi

Chennai, Mar 25: Reacting strongly on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's statement on Congress President Sonia Gandhi's resignation as MP and National Advisory Council Chairperson, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said it revealed her ''pathological hatred'' for Ms Gandhi.

In a statement here, he said of all comments by political leaders on the resignation, Ms Jayalalithaa's was the most extraordinary.

Mr Chidambaram recalled the 2001 Assembly poll when her nominations from four constituencies were rejected by Returning Officers. ''She did not challenge the rejection either before or after the elections. She simply got herself elected as leader of the AIADMK legislature party and persuaded the Governor to swear her in as Chief Minister,'' he said.

It was perhaps the most brazen violation of the Constitution in recent history and it required a judgement of the Supreme Court to remove her from the office of Chief Minister, Mr Chidambaram added.

The Union Minister said when a complaint was made against Ms Gandhi on conflicting news about the ''office of profit'' instead of taking a litigious course, she took the politically correct decision of resigning and announcing her intention to go back to the people of her constituency.

The people of India were the final judge, he said, adding when the verdict from Rae Bareli will come, the hollowness of Ms Jayalalithaa's criticism would be exposed.

The AIADMK supremo in a hard-hitting statement here yesterday, termed Ms Gandhi's resignation a ''Hobson's choice'' saying she had made a virtue out of necessity. She would have been disqualified, she added.

She charged that a high drama of sacrifice had been enacted, knowing that an Ordinance merely to protect Ms Gandhi's position would draw severe flak and not pass muster.

UNI