Proof of AIADMK’s fear: Kani

PUDUCHERRY: Knowing well that the AIADMK could not win the Mayor posts in direct elections, the Tamil Nadu government had passed an ordinance to hold indirect elections to the post in the local body elections in the state, DMK Lok Sabha member Kanimozhi said.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a National Work Shop on ‘Challenges to India’s Fiscal Federalism’ here on Thursday, Kanimozhi charged that the AIADMK is making efforts to confuse the process, as DMK president MK Stalin rightly said.

She said steps were taken to hold the local body elections following insistence from Stalin and added that the AIADMK should not indulge in any malpractice and hold the elections in a fair and free manner.

To a question, she said that it was proven in the last Lok Sabha elections that there is no ‘administrative vacuum’ in Tamil Nadu. On the issue of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM)founder Kamal Haasan and Superstar Rajinikanth joining hands, she said that “let us see then.”

She charged that there is a situation that the media and people’s representatives could not visit Jammu and Kashmir. Several political leaders like Farooq Abdullah are still under arrest, she said adding that a demand to release and allow them to take part in the Parliament proceedings was put forth and the reply from the government was only ‘silence.’