Jaya storms Alagiri’s bastion,launches all out attack on him

The Opposition leader alleged that people of Madurai feared Alagiri and his men.

Launching a no-holds-barred attack on Union minister and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s son M K Alagiri,AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa on Monday accused him of running a parallel government in the state,with Madurai as its centre.

“There are two governments in Tamil Nadu. One in Chennai headed by M Karunanidhi as chief minister and his son M K Stalin as deputy chief minister. The other for south Tamil Nadu with Alagiri as chief minister,” she told a massive rally in Madurai,considered Alagiri’s bastion.

Addressing the keenly watched rally in the backdrop of AIADMK’s claim that Jayalalithaa had received a series of threats to her life if she stepped into Madurai,she said she would not be cowed down by such intimidating tactics.

“Is Madurai Alagiri’s ancestral property? I am not going to be cowed down by these threats. Issuing repeated threats only proves someone is afraid of us,” she said after she arrived here in a bullet proof vehicle,with nearly 1,000 AIADMK men trained in martial arts and calling themselves ‘black cats’ throwing a security ring around her.

Even if she died at Madurai,she would do so gladly as it came before the people of this temple city,said Jayalalithaa,whose party had even met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to complain of DMK government’s ‘lackadaisical approach’ in providing her security.

The AIADMK backed Jaya TV had complained to police about having received threat letters,warning Jayalalithaa not to venture to hold the Madurai rally. Yielding to AIADMK pressure,the state government had ordered handing over to CBI,various cases pertaining to threats to her life.

The Opposition leader alleged that people of Madurai feared Alagiri and his men and charged that government officials,including Collectors and SPs were transferred at the behest of Alagiri if they did not subordinate to him.

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“I am making these charges not as the Opposition Leader but as a responsible citizen of this country. I have learnt that Alagiri’s men say Madurai has become Alagiri nadu (Alagiri country) and Stalin himself has to get a visa to come here,” she quipped.

She also recalled the killing of three employees of Marans owned Dinakaran,allegedly by Alagiri’s supporters after the daily gave low ratings to him over Stalin as Karunanidhi’s heir apparent.

Taking a dig at Alagiri being addressed as Anjanenjan’ (Daredevil),she said that she had come to Madurai despite all threats to her life and “this shows who the real Anjanenjan is”.