Jayalalithaa announces State-wide protest against UPA govt.

Chennai - Stepping up her attack on the UPA government, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Saturday announced a State-wide protest by the AIADMK in front of Central government offices on January 24 over ‘denial’ of the State’s rights and other issues including diesel price and railway fare hike’.

The AIADMK chief announced the decision to hit the streets citing the delay in notifying the Cauvery Waters Dispute Tribunal’s final award, denial of additional power to the State reeling under acute shortage and allocation of funds.

The protests, to be held by the labour wing of the party in district headquarters, was also against the Centre’s measures such as repeated increase in prices of petroleum products and railway fare which badly hit the poor people, she said in a statement in Chennai.

Ms. Jayalalithaa alleged “the Congress-led UPA government was bent upon stifling the rights of States dealing a blow to the Federal character enshrined in the Constitution and rejecting the just demands of non-congress ruled States.

She accused the Centre of maintaining silence on the issue of notifying the Cauvery tribunal’s final award because of political reasons. The DMK, a key ally of UPA, remained a mute spectator for ‘selfish’ motives, she alleged.

Ms. Jayalalithaa asked party cadres to register their protest against the “dictatorial alliance which is led by the Congress and includes DMK.”