DMK attacks Jayalalitha for remarks on 'relief fund'

Chennai, Nov 3: The ruling DMK on Monday, Nov 3 launched a scathing attack against AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa for her remarks that the fund and relief materials collected by the state government for the suffering Tamils in Lanka, might be diverted to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Senior DMK Minister K Ponmudi, in a statement dismissed as absurd, Ms Jayalalithaa's remarks that the relief materials would be diverted to the LTTE, which, she said, was using the Tamils as a shield in the war against the Lankan forces.

''Whom, Ms Jayalalithaa is trying to hoodwink, by stating that there was apprehensions in the minds of the people that the relief materials will be diverted to the LTTE, while being an alliance partner of Marumalarchi DMK (MDMK), which offered direct support to the LTTE and demanded separate Tamil Eelam,'' he asked.

He said people had no such apprehsnions as they were willingly coming forward to contribute for the 'Sri Lankan Tamils Relief Fund,' which has touched Rs five crores in three-days.

Condemning Ms Jayalalithaa for her remarks that Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had launched the collection for his self-interest, he said even school children have pooled their pocket money and contributed for the fund to mitigate the sufferings of the Tamils but the AIADMK leader did not have such feelings.

Knowing the attitude of Ms Jayalalithaa, Mr Karunanidhi had ensured that all payments should be in the form of cheques and demand drafts and a list of contributors was released on a daily basis. ''There is no question of any forcible collection,'' he said.

In the 1980s, when Mr Karunanidhi distributed the funds collected on the occasion of his birthday to all Tamil militant organisations, the LTTE refused to accept the fund, unwilling to antagonise, the then Chief Minister M G Ramachandran, Mr Ponmudi said adding Ms Jayalalithaa herself had gone on record that Mr Karunanidhi had not helped the LTTE, like her mentor MGR.

Accusing Ms Jayalalithaa of trying to create a rift between the DMK and the Congress, by falsely projecting that the DMK was supporting the LTTE, Mr Ponmudi said the DMK had been voicing its support for the Lankan Tamils, after making its stand clear on the issue ''in the pre and post Rajiv assassination era.'' Alleging that the AIADMK leader was maintaining tacit relations with the LTTE, he said fearing the wrath of the LTTE, she was helping the organisation through her alliance partner Vaiko and the details would come to light soon.

Thanks to her ''illicit relations'' with the LTTE, she had avoided attending the election rally at Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991, when Mr Gandhi was assassinated. ''There is no answer yet as why Ms Jayalalithaa had gone to Krishnagiri, instead of attending Rajiv's meeting at Sriperumbudur,'' he said.

When a Bihari was killled in Maharashtra, all the political leaders, including Lalu Yadav, Nitish Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan in Bihar have come together, sinking their political differences.

''Atleast by seeing them, Ms Jayalalithaa will not get provoked, because there is no Tamil blood in her body,'' he said.

On Ms Jayalalithaa's poser as where did Mr Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal get the fund to donate Rs five lakhs for the relief fund, Mr Ponmudi said Ms Dayalu Ammal had donated the fund out of the interest she was getting from a sum of Rs 9.5 crores, she got as share money from Sun TV network.

UNI