TN CM charges Jaya defending partymen in Presidential poll

Chennai, July 20 (UNI) DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today criticised AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa's explanation on her party MLAs and MPs casting their votes in the Presidential polls and said she could have at least guided them through senior party leaders.

Mr Karunanidhi said, if Ms Jayalalithaa did not want to convene a meeting of party MPs and MLAs to give instructions, she could have at least conveyed her directions through senior leaders of the party.

Explaining her party's U-turn on its decision to abstain in the Presidential election yesterday, Ms Jayalalithaa had criticised the Election Commission for creating ''unnecessary confusion'' on the issue that led to her party MPs and MLAs to caste their votes in the polls.

Referring to her remarks that her party MLAs and MPs voted on their own without any instructions from her, the Chief Minister asked, what kind of action she proposed to take on them for acting without her advice.

Mr Karunanidhi said that he was not surprised by the strange explanation given by Ms Jayalalithaa. He would have only been surprised, if she had not given any explanation for the action of her party legislators.

When asked for Ms Jayalalithaa's remarks that she was on constant consultations with legal experts on the EC's press note, which according to her had created confusion, resulting in her party legislators' decision to vote in the polls, Mr Karunanidhi said, even the parties which had put up candidates in the polls had not spent so much time in legal consultations.

UNI