Karuna slams Jaya for running 'queen's rule'

Nonagenarian DMK leader calls for chnage of guard, urges voters to support him in coming polls

Fighting a tough electoral battle ahead of the May 16 Assembly polls, DMK chief M Karunanidhi today charged arch rival and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa with running "queen's rule" and called for a change of guard.

"Will there be any dawn for the poor people of the state? Does rule (government) belong only to them (AIADMK)? There is a need for change and all should strive to bring that change. But in that process, don't bring disappointment (for DMK)," he said while launching his election campaign at Saidapet here.

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"Disappointment can (create any sort of impact) on anybody at any time. So I ask all of you, please give your support to me," the nonagenarian leader said at the public meeting.

"I can sense your enthusiasm but I am weak. Give me that strength. You should give that strength in the coming polls. Using that, DMK will unseat this government," he said.

Such a government could be the one headed by DMK or supported by it, the party patriarch said without elaborating.

By "me", I am not referring to myself but DMK and other allies including Congress, Karunanidhi said, seeking a strong mandate for his party.

Taking a swipe at Jayalalithaa over the December 2015 torrential rainfall and subsequent deluge in Chennai, he said the CM had not even visited flood-affected areas to meet people while opposition parties, including DMK, had lent a helping hand to the citizens.

He himself had gone to the affected areas, Karunanidhi said, adding that it was important for persons in public life to meet people often.

Even in the past, Tamil Nadu has witnessed cyclones and similar situations, and then Ministers had worked to face the crisis, the DMK leader said.

"But this queen (Jayalalithaa) doesn't come out at all. She only travels in a helicopter," he said in a reference to the AIADMK supremo undertaking the aerial route to address election rallies in different parts of the state.

There is "queen's rule" in the state who is not bothered about people, he said.

Karunanidhi emphasised that DMK workers were committed to public service even as he alleged people were facing many problems in the state under AIADMK rule.

He said he was confident of a good show by his party, pointing out to the good turnout at the meeting.

Earlier, in a slip of the tongue, the DMK president sought votes for DMK and "Communists" before being corrected by party leaders, including his grand nephew and former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran.

The 92 year-old immediately corrected it to 'Congress', which had aligned with DMK recently after the two parted ways in 2013 on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.