A stabbing comparison, says Chidambaram

By Syed Muthahar

TIRUNELVELI, APRIL 30. The TMC Democratic Forum leader, Mr. P. Chidambaram, today said the TMC president, Mr. G. K. Moopanar, had stabbed in the hearts of traditional Congressmen by comparing the AIADMK chief, Ms. J. Jayalalitha, with the late Congress leader Kamaraj, in support of his view that she could become Chief Minister without contesting in the elections.

Talking to reporters here, Mr. Chidambaram urged Mr. Moopanar to withdraw his statement. Ms. Jayalalitha was disqualified from contesting the Assembly poll following her conviction in the corruption cases. No corruption charge was levelled against Kamaraj and he was neither convicted by any court nor disqualified by the Election Commission from contesting in any election at any point of time.

It was ``very unfortunate'' that Mr. Moopanar preferred to compare Ms. Jayalalitha with Kamaraj, despite knowing these facts very well. ``I humbly request Mr. Moopanar to withdraw this statement'', he added. Fortunately, the CPI and the CPI(M) had carefully avoided featuring Ms. Jayalalitha as Chief Ministerial candidate and were of the view that the leader selected by the AIADMK would head the next government, he said.

Referring to the scathing attack made by the CPI(M) leader, Mr. Harkishan Singh Surjeet, on the Election Commission for adopting ``two different standards'' with regard to nominations of convicted persons, Mr. Chidambaram said Mr. Surjeet was a picture of ``total contradiction''. The CPI(M), which had been arguing in Kerala that it was wrong on the part of the officials to have accepted the nomination of former Minister, Mr. Balakrishna Pillai, was criticising the rejection of the papers of Ms. Jayalalitha.

Referring to Mr. Moopanar's statement that Mr. Chidambaram was welcome back to the TMC if he desired so, he said, the party should first pronounce that it would not deviate from the path chalked out in 1996.

J. V. Siva Prasanna Kumar reports from Nagercoil

At a public meeting at Marthandam, Mr. P. Chidambaram said it would be ``purely undemocratic'' for convicted persons to become Chief Minister without duly contesting in the elections.

There was no provision in law enabling those convicted to become either Ministers or Chief Ministers or Prime Ministers without contesting the poll. Ms. Jayalalitha had ``already forfeited'' the means to even contest in the elections to become Chief Minister, he said.

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