'Jaya's desire for comeback won't be fulfilled'

CHENNAI: In his first reaction to the conviction of J Jayalalithaa, DMK president M Karunanidhi said the AIADMK chief's problems were of her own making. "She created a situation where there was nobody to question her, and then got trapped in the net. We were waiting for an end to her dangerous style of working...and she got herself into trouble." He said her wish to come back to power won't come true.

With barely concealed glee, the DMK patriarch said, "Unknowingly, Jayalalithaa helped us revive the Dravidian movement. Our friend MGR split the party at an unexpected time. The Dravidian movement was in peril ever since AIADMK went into the hands of Jayalalithaa. We had been waiting for an end to her dangerous style of her functioning."

Karunanidhi, always quick to articulate his point of view on diverse topics ranging from cricket to Barack Obama, appeared taciturn since Jayalalithaa's conviction 11 days ago. Observers said he was biding his time so that the initial outpouring of sympathy for her died down and he could make his move. So much so, even when his allies, PMK and DMDK, were issuing strong statements on the conviction, Karunanidhi kept partymen on tight leash. Tamping down any overt exuberance by excitable leaders, he refused permission to DMK lawyers who wanted to oppose Jayalalithaa's bail plea in court.

"Merely beating a snake won't help, its venom should be removed. It's for this purpose we have met here today. We should destroy our opponents and should not allow them to make a comeback," he said, hastening to add that he was not advocating violence.

The party sought the Centre's intervention to put an end to the "atrocities" unleashed by AIADMK supporters but stopped short of asking for the government's dismissal. In a statement after a meeting of district secretaries, the party said Tamil Nadu was facing an undeclared emergency-like situation following the conviction of AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa in the assets case.

A resolution passed at the meeting also flayed AIADMK's criticism of special court judge John Michael Cunha. "He was portrayed in an indecent manner by agitating AIADMK supporters," it said, and alleged that protests were being held without police permission.

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