Jaya assails DMK Govt on power cut, asks CM to quit

Chennai, Oct 21 (UNI) Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa today condemned the restrictions imposed by the Tamil Nadu Government on usage of power and demanded the government withdraw the ''anti-people'' order.

In a statement here, Ms Jayalalithaa said the order, imposing restrictions on the use of power and asking consumers to reduce their consumption amounted to ''taking the people to the stone age''.

She said the government, directing the domestic consumers to cut down their consumption by 20 per cent and industries by 40 per cent and levy of 50 per cent more tariff on consumption of power beyond the permissible limits, deserved to be condemned.

''This added salt to the injury,'' she said, adding when the government had announced six-and-half-hour power cut, many parts of the State went without power for 20 hours.

Now, by announcing A 10-hour power cut, the State would be plunged into darkness, she said.

In a sarcastic tone, Ms Jayalalithaa suggested that Tamil Nadu should try to secure a place in the 'Guinness Book of World Records' for being the only State in the country to remain ''power-less'' in the 21st century.

When the working class was already facing retrenchment and wage loss due to power cuts, the 50 per cent additional tariff for consumption of power beyond the permissible limits could not be accepted at all, she said.

The restrictions on power would seriously affect all industries and lead to unemployment problem. In some of the electrical crematoriums, even bodies could not be cremated due to the power crisis, the former chief minister claimed.

She said owning responsibility for the mismanagement, Chief Minister M Karuanidhi should step down and dissolve the Assembly after declaring that he could not manage things.

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