Jaya must answer queries on cash seizure: Karunanidhi

He alleged that reports in the press had clearly showed that money was being used in the election campaign.  A few weeks ago reports had emerged with basic evidence about how the ministers had individually amassed wealth in crores of rupees. 

The EC had now revealed that Rs 4.77 crore in cash along with currency counting machines and vehicles had been seized from a close associate of minister Natham Viswanathan, Karunanidhi said. 

Official sources had also hinted that the attention of the Election Commission had been drawn to the seizure of money to the tune of Rs 250 crores. There was no other proof required for the kind of governance in the state, how the code of conduct was being complied with. Karur incident was enough for what was going on. 

“Who is Anbunathan? Who is Manimaran and what is the connection between the two and minister Natham Viswanathan? Who is such a big amount being exchanged?” are the questions the chief minister had to answer. But she was boarding a helicopter and doing electioneering in which she was asking questions to him, Karunanidhi remarked. “I have not been in office for the past five years. She has to say why containers and ambulances have been seized and also give details of the evidence captured in cameras,“ the DMK chief added. 

She had to first explain to the people whether Rs 4.5 crore, or Rs 100 crore, or Rs 250 crore had been seized before asking him questions, Karunanidhi said in a statement.  

Parties demand details: 

The Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu like the BJP, and the Communist Party of India (CPI) have urged the Election Commission (EC) to disclose the exact amount seized from a godown in Karur a couple of days ago. 

Talking to reporters, BJP state president Tamizhisai Soundararajan said a huge amount of cash, allegedly meant for distribution to the voters by the AIADMK, was seized in Karur. She wanted the EC to disclose the exact amount of money seized by officials in Karur. She said she had also received reports that the ruling party was distributing money to the voters by issuing tokens in TASMAC liquor shops. DMK Treasurer M K Stalin alleged that the EC was acting in favour of the ruling party and trying to hide the real facts in the seizure of money at Karur. CPI State Secretary R Mutharasan also wanted the EC to disclose the amount seized in Karur.  He  alleged that the EC was acting in a biased manner. 

Jaya wrong on farmer suicides: Ramadoss:  

PMK leader S Ramadoss criticised AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa for saying that the state farmers were committing suicide due to their family problems and not indebtedness or poverty. Ramadoss said she had insulted the farmers and this was condemnable. He said in a statement, “She has not fulfilled her promise in 2011 to increase procurement price for sugarcane to Rs 2,500 per tonne.  

If she had done that, the procurement price would have been now Rs 3,350 per tonne.”  Since sugarcane factories owed nearly Rs 1,050 crore to the farmers they were demoralised and discouraged from sincerely taking up sugarcane farming. In all, 2,423 farmers had committed suicide during the AIADMK regime. 

During the previous DMK regime, 3,390 farmers had committed suicide. The figures showed that there was no protection for the farmers in both the DMK and AIADMK governments. Jayalalithaa had also failed to increase the per capita income of farmers by two or three times as promised in 2011, Ramadoss pointed out. He promised to find a solution for all the issues related to farmers if the PMK was voted to power.