AIADMK, Sasikala slam Annamalai for his 'Jaya, a superior Hindutva leader' remark
Chennai, May 25: Senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar on Saturday condemned BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai for his "Jayalalithaa was a far superior Hindutva leader" remark and said the late party supremo 'Amma' had been a leader of people belonging to all faiths.
Confidante of Jayalalithaa, V K Sasikala, said Annamalai's comment showed his 'ignorance' and his 'flawed understanding' of the former chief minister.
Jayakumar, a former minister during the previous AIADMK regime, said Jayalalithaa equally regarded people belonging to all religions and she had been a leader of people of all faiths.
The AIADMK leader condemned Annamalai, alleging the BJP leader made that comment eyeing political mileage and to create an identity for himself in Tamil Nadu by adding a Hindutva tag to Amma and this was a wanton act to bring disrepute to her.
When Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992, Jayalalithaa, as Chief Minister ensured peace and implemented a slew of schemes for the welfare of minorities, such as free rice to mosques during the fasting month of Ramzan and financial assistance to Christians in order to support them to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Jayakumar said in a statement.
"She had been firm in making no comprosmises in respecting the religious beliefs of people belonging to all faiths and in protecting them all." Amma's legacy of being an unparalleled leader of people belonging to all religions will continue to be part of Tamil Nadu's history, Jayakumar added.
Sasikala said Jayalalithaa transcended barriers of castes and religions and she was a great leader who was respected by all sections of the society. She was the only leader who was regarded as their own by all the people, be it Hindus, Muslims or Christians and such a tall leader cannot be brought under a specific, narrow tag, she said in a post on 'X'.
On May 23, in an interview to PTI, Annamalai had said, "...till Jayalalithaaji was alive, she was a far superior Hindutva leader than anybody in Tamil Nadu. Pre-2014, when you have a party like the BJP and Jayalalithaa as a leader the natural choice of a Hindu voter would be Jayalalithaa, who displayed her Hindu identity openly."
The BJP is filling the void in Tamil Nadu politics left by the death of AIADMK supremo and former chief minister Jayalalithaa, Annamalai had said.
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NIA registers case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.
The move came following a directive by the Union Home Ministry in this regard, they said.
In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.
"The case pertains to recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by Kolkata police, which were being stored at a spot, thereby endangering human life and property," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had directed the West Bengal Police to launch a special drive to arrest those involved in illegal manufacturing of crude bombs in the poll-bound state, an official said.
It asserted that all cases related to the making of any such explosive would be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the official said.
The directive came after the police recovered a large number of crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, days ahead of the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state.
The explosives were recovered during a search at the residence of Rafikul Islam following specific inputs, the official said.
The poll panel also issued a warning to senior police officers across the state over any lapse in maintaining law and order before the April 29 polling.
The first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal was held on April 23, while the second phase will take place on April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 93.19 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first round of polling. Bhangar will vote in the second phase.
