Power shortage in Tamil Nadu due to sabotage: Jayalalithaa

Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu), April 11 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa Friday said the power shortage in the state seems to be due to sabotage and her government will go to root of sudden power station failures.

There is no question of power shortage in Tamil Nadu. Necessary power is being generated. The sudden failures of power stations daily results in a doubt whether it is a planned sabotage," said Jayalalithaa at an election rally in this Tamil Nadu town, around 650 km from Chennai.

She said the government will study the issue and take severe action against those who resort to such sabotage without bothering about the sufferings of the people.

Jayalalithaa said during her earlier regimes, there was no such failures at power generating stations.

Agreeing that there was power shortage in the state earlier, she said the generation now is 12,000 MW and there is no power shortage.

According to Jayalalithaa, people are of the view that the power stations are made to fail deliberately so as to create an aversion in the minds of people against her AIADMK and vote against the party in the elections.

Referring to DMK's criticism of her government's decision to make and sell mineral water at Rs.10 per litre, she claimed it has affected some of the DMK leader's business interests.

She said private players sell a litre of mineral water for Rs.22 whereas the government water is priced at Rs.10 targeting the travellers.

Jayalalithaa also charged the Election Commission of partiality.

She said the commission has stipulated that AIADMK candidates should not be present on the dais at meetings addressed by her nor should his picture should be there. She should also not mention the candidate's name. If these conditions are not met, then the expenses of meetings would be taken into account while calculating the total election expenses incurred by an AIADMK candidate.

The same rule is not applied to DMK party meetings, alleged Jayalalithaa.