By IANS
Chennai : Tamil Nadu’s opposition leader J. Jayalalitha Saturday said Chief Minister M. Karaunanidhi’s explanation for the virtual shutdown in the state Monday — that the government had little time after the Supreme Court stayed the move — was “unacceptable”.
The ruling DMK had called for the shutdown to press for speedy implementation of the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project, opposed by Jayalalitha’s AIADMK which also opposed the strike call and got a Supreme Court stay on the strike.
As transport services shut down, shops were closed and government offices and schools saw almost no attendance, the apex court Monday said there was a “constitutional crisis” in Tamil Nadu, for which the DMK government could be dismissed.
Defending himself, Karunanidhi has said the Sep 30 order of the apex court not to go ahead with the shutdown came too late for the government to ensure its implementation.
Jayalalitha in a statement here said that Karunanidhi had “failed in his duties as chief minister” by not making an “official announcement that there will be no bandh (shutdown) on Oct 1”.
“The explanation offered by the chief minister that the apex court order had reached the chief secretary only at about 10.30 p.m. on Sep 30 is unacceptable,” Jayalalitha said.
She added that it could be believed “in the stone age” but not in this e-age.
“Soon after the order was passed at 1.30 p.m., Karunanidhi announced that there will be a hunger strike, a protest fast, by the ruling coalition.
“The chief minister’s announcement of the fast was also telecast by Kalaignar TV,” she said, pointing out that the same TV channel could have made the announcement that there would be no shutdown.
“The chief minister should have announced that all buses would ply and schools, colleges, hospitals and government offices would function as usual,” the statement said.
“Though Karunanidhi said he and his cabinet colleagues attended office on Oct 1 and claimed schools functioned and all transport services were on throughout the state, it was widely reported in the media that the entire state had come to a standstill,” she added.
The AIADMK has approached the Supreme Court with a contempt-of-court petition against Karunanidhi.