Baalu flays Jaya on Maran statue issue

Chennai, Nov 22 (UNI) Senior DMK Leader and Union Minister T R Baalu today launched a scathing attack on AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa for opposing the installation of the statue of Former Union Minister Murasoli Maran in Parliament House, saying it would set a wrong precedent.

Reacting to Ms Jayalalithaa's charge that Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi had exerted pressure on the Centre to install the statue, Mr Baalu, in a statement here, challenged the AIADMK leader to prove her charge or quit politics.

He said the decision to install the statue was taken by a committee, headed by the Lok Sabha Speaker after taking into account Mr Maran's 35-year-long experience in both Houses of Parliament and his outstanding contribution to upholding democracy and impressive performance as Union Minister.

Denying Ms Jayalalithaa's charge that Mr Karunanidhi had prevented the installation of MGR's statue in Parliament House, he claimed it was Ms Jayalalithaa who had complained against MGR with Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and refused to name the film city after him.

When Former Minister S Thirunavukarasu tried to install MGR's statue at Erode, Ms Jayalalithaa, who was the then Chief Minister, had not only denied persmission, but also removed the statue, Mr Baalu alleged.

Mr Karunanidhi never wrote to the Centre or to Congress President Sonia Gandhi for installing the statue, he said adding Mr Maran did not require a certificate from Ms Jayalalithaa ''who never had political decency.'' UNI WS SHB KP2241