AIADMK and BJP have tacit understanding: P Chidambaram

SIVAGANGA: Former finance minister P Chidambaram said the AIADMK and the BJP had a tacit understanding and are pretending to attack each other only because it is the election time.

“In the parliament the AIADMK doesn’t join the opposition in attacking the BJP. These two parties put up appearances of opposing each other for 15 days and will go back to their understanding after elections,” he said. Chidambaram said according to numbers available in the public domain, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu had roughly one third each of people detained under detention laws such as Prevention of Ter rorism Act (POTA) among others, in the country.

“Two thirds of the detenues are in these two states. What does it point to? It points to an anti-Islam,anti -Muslim approach in the application of detention laws by these two states. There is a clear bias against the minority community.”

The former minister also said as per information available in the public domain not rebutted by the AIADMK or state government, Jayalalithaa added 5000 liquor shops in five years.

Taking the AIADMK supremo on her promise to counter the alcohol menace in the State with step by step prohibition, Chidambaram said, “There is no credibility in her promise of prohibition.

How many years will she take to fulfil step by step prohibition. If she could open 5,000 shops in 5 years why would she require step by step introduction to prohibition? Why can’t she immediately announce the closure of 1,000 shops,” he said.