DMK trying to capture power through short cut': D Jayakumar

Chennai: Senior AIADMK leader and fisheries minister D Jayakumar on Wednesday alleged that the DMK was trying to win the by-elections expected in 20 assembly segments "through shortcut" and that include a "secret deal" with AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran.

DMK is "day-dreaming' of capturing power by winning these 20 seats "somehow or through short cut" by even having a "secret deal" with TTV, but that would never succeed, Jayakumar told reporters here. He said the AIADMK government continued to carry out the various welfare schemes initiated by 'Amma' and such good work "can only translate into votes" for the party.

The 18 Assembly seats represented by disqualified AIADMK MLAs loyal to Dhinakaran had fallen vacant after the Madras High Court recently upheld the Speaker's action and lifted a stay on notifying elections. Two other seats fell vacant due to the demise of their MLAs -- DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi (Tiruvarur) and AIADMK's AK Bose (Tiruparankundram).

Minister Jayakumar referred to the Mekedatu dam issue and asserted that the AIADMK and its government had all along fought for the rights of the farmers and the welfare of the state in river water issues. On the other hand, the DMK during its regime had 'betrayed' TN interests, be it Mullaperiyar dam or the Cauvery issues, he said.

Meanwhile, the TN Assembly is slated to adopt a resolution during its special session on Thursday on the Mekedatu issue to urge the Centre to withdraw its nod to Karnataka for preparing a Detailed Project Report for building the reservoir across Cauvery.  

In a related development, TTV Dhinakaran said elections to the 20 assembly segments were expected to be held along with Parliamentary polls next year. "The ruling party will lose power if it cannot manage to win at least eight seats," he told reporters, adding, "This is a weak (AIADMK) leadership, subservient to the Centre. You cannot expect anything significant from it. People know this and they desire a regime change through elections".

In the 234-member House with 20 vacancies, AIADMK has 115 MLAS (excluding the Speaker), DMK 88 and its allies (Congress 8 and IUML 1) nine and one is represented by Dhinakaran who won as an independent from RK Nagar last year.