Congress 'anti-farmer', should be sent out: Jayalalithaa

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Thursday said the "anti-farmer" Congress party should be voted out of power and added that her government's policy is to see that the farmers are not affected by any project.

Addressing an election rally here, around 400 km from Chennai, the AIADMK general secretary, citing GAIL India Ltd's pipeline project, said: "The company has temporarily stopped the project now. The Supreme Court ordered maintenance of status quo on the project upon the state government's petition."

She said the Congress government at the centre, that acted against the interests of Tamil Nadu farmers in the Cauvery river water sharing dispute with Karnataka, has acted in a manner that would impact the livelihood of farmers in this region with the pipeline project.

Jayalalithaa wondered why the company can't lay the pipeline along the highways as it has done in Kerala and why it has to take the line through farm lands in seven districts of Tamil Nadu.

Referring to the centre's sanction to carry out field trials of genetically modified crops, Jayalalithaa said her government will not permit field trials in Tamil Nadu.

She asserted that when the new government at the centre, of which AIADMK would be a part, assumes office after the general elections, the permission for field trials of GM crops would be cancelled.

On the cancellation of talks between the Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen which were scheduled to be held in Colombo Thursday, Jayalalithaa said she had told the centre that Sri Lanka should release all the 177 arrested Indian fishermen prior to the talks.

According to her, Sri Lanka released 116 fishermen Wednesday.

"The centre was informed that only when the remaining 61 fishermen and 18 boats are released by Sri Lanka, that fishermen from Tamil Nadu would participate in the next round of talks. The fishermen will be released in a day or two," Jayalalithaa said.

Referring to the 2G telecom scam and DMK's Dayanidhi Maran being fielded as a Lok Sabha candidate from Chennai Central, Jayalalithaa urged the people to teach the rival party a lesson.