DMK pumped in Rs 5,000 crore to face assembly polls: Jayalalithaa

CHENNAI: Completing 100 days in office, that saw her shower freebies and reverse DMK's pet schemes, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday alleged in the Assembly the M Karunanidhi-led party had pumped in Rs 5,000 crore during the April 13 elections.

"The DMK was heavily dependent on money power rather than muscle power or others. Do you know how much money they pumped in for the elections? Rs 5000 crore," she said in a speech to mark her 100 days in power after inflicting a crushing poll defeat on DMK depriving it of even the main opposition status in the assembly.

Recalling the stringent measures taken by the Election Commission to curb money power during the elections, she said Rs 50 crore had been reportedly seized.

"I came to know that some DMK men said they were not bothered by it as it was like little water spilling out of a pot full of water," she said.

Without directly naming Union Minister M K Alagiri, she said the DMK men had said this money was pumped in by him.

She said the voters were not lured by money or other enticements by DMK and had given a mandate to her party and its allies returning over 200 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly.

In her first action after assuming office on May 16, Jayalalithaa dumped Karunanidhi's pet project -- Rs 1,200 crore new secretariat-assembly complex, which would now be used as a multi-speciality hospital, and scrapped free colour TV distribution scheme, and replaced the health insurance and housing schemes with revamped ones.