Jaya takes to the streets after 14 years

CHENNAI: AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa led an agitation in Chennai on Monday to protest against fuel price hike, the first time she took part in a public demonstration in the last 14 years.

Ms Jayalalithaa demanded a roll-back of the recent hike in petrol and diesel prices. She said while it was the centre that imposed the hike, DMK government was also a part of the UPA. “Will it prevail upon the centre to roll back the hike?,” she asked.

She pointed out that the UPA government had increased the prices of petroleum products for the sixth time in two years. For the recent hike it waited for the assembly polls in the five states to get over, she said.

The last time she took to the streets was in 1992, when she went on a 3-day fast over the Cauvery dispute.

The Tamil Nadu state government has decided to reduce sales tax on diesel by 45p per litre. However, Ms Jayalalithaa said the announcement was an ‘eyewash’. Ms Jayalalithaa also used the protest to make a statement about the solidarity of the assembly poll alliance, by sharing the platform with MDMK leader Vaiko and Dalit Panther chief Thol Thirumavalavan and forming a human chain along with them.

The last time Ms Jayalalithaa shared the platform with Vaiko was in 1998 during a party conference, when AIADMK and MDMK were alliance partners of BJP for the Lok Sabha elections. However, the leaders fell apart eventually. Vaiko spent 18 months in jail during her regime, before becoming an alliance partner ahead of assembly elections.

Mr Vaiko said DMK was adopting double standards by supporting both Congress and the Left Parties, while one effected the hike and the other was protesting against it. Mr Thirumavalavan demanded a reduction on tax on petrol as well.