Elangovan hits out at Jaya's fast as "farce"

Chennai, Mar 18 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Textiles E V K S Elangovan today criticised the fast on the Cauvery issue by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaaa.

Participating in the Centennary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi's 'Satyagraha' movement at the Congress party headquarters here, he alleged that the fast and other peaceful agitations were observed by the Congress during the freedom struggle for ''common causes and freedom for the country''.

But leaders like Ms Jayalalithaa were ''insulting'' such noble agitations of the Father of the Nation, he alleged.

Meanwhile, referring to the defeat of the Congress in the assembly elections in Punjab, he said it was not new for the party.

''The Congress had met with several such setbacks. But the time would come when the Congress will rule not only Tamil Nadu, but also the entire country on its own,'' he claimed.

Mr Elangovan alleged that parties participating in the UPA Government were creating trouble for the Congress and a few staying out of the Government had been giving lot of trouble to the Congress- led coalition at the Centre.

''Now one such party has stopped wagging its tail, following the Government led by that party in a state facing a big problem, against their ideology'', he said, alluding to the situation in West Bengal.

Mr Elangovan said in Tamil Nadu, nobody should be under the impression that the Congress party was their slave. The Congress in Tamil Nadu was maintaining patience and peace to uphold certain principles. ''But there is a limit for such patience'', he said.

Congress would be the first party to come to defence, if the people were subject any injustice. "Nobody need doubt that Kamaraj rule would be ushered in again in Tamil Nadu," he said and called upon the Congress workers to work to realise this goal.

He appealed to TNCC President M Krishnaswamy to take the party to the people, for which he was ready to support him in any way.

UNI