By IANS,
Chennai : AIADMK supremo and Leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu legislature J. Jayalalitha Saturday charged the ruling DMK and the Election Commission with irregularities in the recently concluded Tirumangalam by-election.
“We cannot accept the verdict of Tirumangalam by-election because 30 percent of the votes were cast during the last one hour through electronic voting machines (EVMs). The recorded votes are doubtful and we suspect rigging by the minority DMK government,” Jayalalitha said.
Noting that due to the possibilities of tampering with EVMs, advanced nations like US and Japan have returned to paper ballots, she said explanations sought from the Election Commission regarding the anomalies in the voting patterns in Tirumangalam and the efficacy of EVMs has elicited no response.
The AIADMK supremo was interacting with the press at the party headquarters on the occasion of the 92nd birth anniversary of the party’s founder and her political mentor, the late M.G. Ramachandran.
On her party’s position with regard to the ethnic minority issue in Sri Lanka, she said: “While we stand for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka enjoying the same rights as the majority Sinhalese, we oppose all those who claim the banned terrorist organisation Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is the sole representative of the ethnic minority in Sri Lanka.”
She slammed the ruling DMK and its electoral ally Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi (VCK) for supporting the banned LTTE indirectly and openly, respectively.
“(Chief Minister M.) Karunanidhi and (fasting VCK leader Thol) Thirumavalavan are enacting a drama to fool Tamils here and in Sri Lanka. The DMK is indirectly supporting the LTTE and Thirumavalavan is openly espousing the cause of a terrorist outfit banned not only in India but also in most countries in the world,” she claimed.
Jayalalitha also wondered why the centre was intent on investigating the Rs.7,000 crore (Rs.70 billion) Satyam Computer scam while ignoring the bigger Rs.1 trillion “spectrum allocation scandal”.