Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Tuesday charged her arch rival and DMK chief M Karunanidhi with adopting double standards on FDI issue and alleged he had by assuring DMK's support to UPA in the wake of it approving FDI, extended his support to it.
Referring to his recent media interaction after Trinamool Congress pulled out of UPA following FDI in multi-brand retail and hike in diesel price, she recalled he had said his party does not act in haste on alliances.
"He had said DMK does not pull out in haste and only does if there is an ideological difference and that it upholds coalition dharma. (By saying so), he has clarified that he supports Centre's decision on FDI," she said in a statement in Chennai.
Further, though he had extended DMK's support to the September 20 bandh called by Opposition parties, the party "maintained silence that day," she said, adding, he had however, claimed in a statement that thousands of shops had downed shutters to "create an image as if DMK participated in the protest."
This was another instance of his "double standards," Jayalalithaa said, accusing him of adopting similar tactics on the Cauvery issue and the Kudankulam nuclear power project, which is in the midst of an anti-nuclear protest.
Holding that Karunanidhi's son and Union Fertilizers Minister MK Alagiri was DMK's representative in the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs which decided on FDI and diesel price hike, Jayalalithaa asked if he had attended the meeting and voiced opposition. She demanded Karunandhi clarify Alagiri's presence at the meeting.
On his criticising her for flaying the recent ruling of the Cauvery River Authority, she said it was the DMK leader who had "remained ignorant" of Karnataka taking up works on the Cauvery and its tributaries since 1970 when he first expressed no objection to a dam on Hemavati river by that state.
"While being in power both at the Centre and state, he could never succeed in convening the CRA," she said.
Her government had decided to move Supreme Court against the "injustice" meted out by the CRA ruling, where the Prime Minister had directed Karnataka to release 9000 cusecs against Tamil Nadu's demand of two tmcft as per distress sharing formula, which was turned down by the upper riparian state.
She also charged the DMK chief with adopting double standards on the power situation and the Kudankulam issue, saying his government had done little on power generation fronts. It had also failed to ink agreements for long-term power purchase at lower costs and had gone in for the more expensive 'Power Exchange.'
"As for Kudankulam, the state government had sanctioned Rs 500 crore for taking up welfare activities in the area. I wish to point out to Karunanidhi that following a peaceful situation, efforts (for power generation) will be expedited," she said.
"Karunanidhi has this habit of fishing in troubled waters by issuing contradictory statements to whatever initiatives I take in the interest of Tamils. On behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu, I insist him to stop issuing such statements keeping in mind the welfare of Tamils," she said.
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