CHENNAI, March 13: The Bharatiay Janata Party found an unexpected support in its trouble with Jayalalitha. And it came from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M Karunanidhi, who on Friday charged that Jayalalitha was trying to cheat the people by claiming that she had put conditions for extending support to the BJP government at the Centre only in the interest of welfare of Tamil Nadu.Reacting to the latest developments at the Centre, Karunanidhi said but contrary to her claim, BJP leader A B Vajpayee had already announced that Jayalalitha had indeed sought a few cabinet berths for persons like Janata Party president Subramaniam Swamy and the dismissal of the DMK government.But the BJP had reportedly rejected her demands. He said the people of Tamil Nadu, who were carried away by Jayalalitha's promises of providing a stable government at the Centre with Vajpayee as the Prime Minister, should ``at least now know her true character''.Meanwhile, a top DMK leader under condition of anonymitytold `The Indian Express' that the BJP would have now understood the `double game' of Jayalalitha. The main reason for seeking important portfolios like Finance and Home in the Union Cabinet to the AIADMK's allied party leaders by Jayalalitha is to somehow withdraw all the cases registered against her by the various Central agencies. But she was covering up that issue and making a hue and cry for the dismissal of the DMK government.How can the DMK regime be dismissed without the support of two-thirds of the members in the Lok Sabha, the DMK leader wanted to know.Meanwhile in Bangalore, Kannada Chaluvali leader and legislator Vatal Nagaraj today lashed out at Jayalalitha for demanding the implementation of the interim order of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal as part of her conditional support to the BJP to form the Government at the Centre, and said that such conditions could affect the unity and integrity of the nation.Participating in the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor'sAddress in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Vatal Nagaraj said that the people of Karnataka would never consent to the demand, no matter which party came to power at the Centre.This particular condition of Jayalalitha's that claimed advantage over ``our waters'', was an insult not only to the Tribunal, but was also undemocratic, he told the House. That she should use the Cauvery issue for political purposes and as a means to cover corruption, should be roundly condemned by the entire House, he said.What is the thinking behind such a demand, he asked. The people of Karnataka will never agree to it. He was also certain that BJP leader and prime minsiterial candidate Atal Behari Vajpayee too will never agree to this.Intervening at this point, Panchayat Raj Minister M P Prakash also agreed that it was a populist demand made in resentment over the fact that Jayalalitha's allies were not being given the prime portfolios of Finance and Law. He congratulated Vajpayee for not agreeing to her demand overthese portfolios.Referring to reports of the AIADMK demand to make Subramaniam Swamy the Finance Minister, Vatal Nagaraj raised questions regarding his credentials by referring to the fact that he earlier supported the DMK and was now with the AIADMK.
