Chandralekha to contest against Jayalalitha

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, MARCH 28. The Janata Party will field its State president, Ms. V. S. Chandralekha, as a `common candidate' against the AIADMK general secretary, Ms. Jayalalitha, in the Assembly election.

Announcing the decision at the party's Madurai district `active cadres' conference here today, Ms. Chandralekha wanted the parties opposing the AIADMK to back her candidature. ``I should be promoted by all political parties as a common candidate against Ms. Jayalalitha,'' she said and also wanted the DMK chief, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, to endorse the decision taken in the interest of the people of Tamil Nadu.

The party president, Dr. Subramanian Swamy, would act as her `poll agent', primarily to raise `objections' to Ms. Jayalalitha filing her nomination. ``If Jayalalitha's papers are rejected, there is no question of my contesting''.

Ms. Chandralekha announced the first list of 15 constituencies in which the party would contest: Madurai West, Central and East, Tirupparankundram, Melur, Samayanallur, Sholavandan, Cumbum, Theni, Tiruppattur (Sivaganga district), Tiruchi-II, Musiri, Pattukottai, Kumbakonam and Omalur.

She called the decision of the AIADMK and Congress to allow the PMK to head the government in Pondicherry in the event of their victory at the hustings ``a shameful surrender''.

The conference urged the Government to name the Tuticorin port after freedom fighter V. O. Chidambaram Pillai. It also wanted the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, to resign following the `Tehelka exposure'. The party, while thanking Dr. Swamy for taking the issue of Mullaperiyar dam to the Supreme Court, however, condemned the DMK Government for failing to seek justice to the farmers.

It also criticised the AIADMK for forging an alliance with the CPI (M) which betrayed the interests of Tamil Nadu farmers on the Mullaperiyar issue.

The conference wanted the Government to ban the Dravidar Kazhagam and arrest the Tamil Nationalist Movement leader, Mr. P. Nedumaran, under the National Security Act. It also urged the Sri Lankan President, Ms. Chandrika, to arrest the LTTE leader, Mr. V. Prabhakaran, and hand him over to the Indian Government.

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