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MDMK strategy after EC announcement

By Our Staff Reporter

VELLORE Jan. 6 . The MDMK will make known the party strategy for the Sattankulam Assembly poll only after the Election Commission announces the date, L. Ganesan, presidium chairman, told newspersons after meeting the general secretary, Vaiko, in the central prison here today.

Asked whether the MDMK would contest, he said: "I have discussed the matter with Mr. Vaiko, but an official announcement on the party's strategy would be made only after the EC made known its decision to hold the byelection''.

Mr. Ganesan clarified that the signature campaign, now under way, was not a memorandum seeking the release of Mr. Vaiko arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, but a "public movement expressing the people's deep distress at and condemnation of the detention of the general secretary and eight other frontline functionaries as an undemocratic act of gross injustice". So far 50 lakh signatures had been obtained and the party hoped to collect 1.25 crore signatures, exceeding the target of one crore. The signatories, Mr. Ganesan claimed, included many AIADMK workers. The last date of the campaign was extended up to January 14 to enable more persons to affix their signatures, he said. The party was approaching the arrest issue legally.

On the Kerala move to construct a dam across the Bhavani, Mr. Ganesan said the party had not yet given thought to the issue and that it would decide its stand soon.

`Talk to Antony'

Our Chennai Special Correspondent reports:

In Chennai, the MDMK treasurer and Union Minister of State for Finance, M. Kannappan, said the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, should talk to the Kerala Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, and impress upon him that Kerala could not unilaterally decide to build a dam across an inter-State river. If this effort failed, she should talk to the Prime Minister at a meeting of the Cauvery tribunal.

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