TN will become 'Amma Nadu' if Jaya returns: MK

Chennai: DMK chief M Karunanidhi was at his sarcastic best taking digs at chief minister Jayalalithaa on Saturday. In a letter to the party cadres on the last day of campaigning for the May 16 assembly election, Karunanidhi said Tamil Nadu will become 'Amma Nadu' if she retains power.

"Jayalalithaa is an embodiment of ego and arrogance and that is why in the past five years all her statements contained words like 'My government' and 'I announce'," he said.

He said after assuming power in 2011, the AIADMK government promised that it would reduce public debt and take steps to bring prosperity to all people. These promises were mentioned in the party manifesto.

"But what is the debt situation currently? Besides the outstanding debt of Tangedco, the total debt of the government is Rs 2.11 lakh crore.This means every person in Tamil Nadu owes a debt of Rs 28,778. After assuming power in 2011, the AIADMK government has increased the price of Aavin milk, bus fares and power tariff by 37 per cent," he said.

The DMK chief also attacked Jayalalithaa for not keeping her promises like meeting the press every week.“Now that it is election time, she comes out with slogans like `I live for people and only for people.' But it should be 'I live for me and only for me'," he said.

In an appeal to people, Karunanidhi said, "It is time to bury the present government. I request you to order me to work once again," he said not hiding his ambition to return as the chief minister.

He faulted the AIADMK government's claim that her government had signed investments to the tune of Rs 2.42 lakh crore at the global investors summit.

The DMK chief slammed Jayalalithaa on her promises to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees saying that she had betrayed their cause by getting an assembly resolution passed asking the Lankan government to arrest LTTE leader V Prabhakaran.