Nagapattinam (TN): Expressing concern over the threat posed by extremists to the country, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has said it was necessary to re-elect A B Vajpayee as Prime Minister to tackle the menace.

Addressing a large election rally at nearby Mayiladuthurai last night (Apr 9, 2004), the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) supremo said the country was facing minacious extremist activities and to deal with terrorists, it was necessary Vajpayee became Prime Minister again.

Elections 2004-The Drama unfolds...

She attacked Congress, whose leader Manishankar Aiyar is contesting from Mayiladuthurai, for forming an "unholy" tie up with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam DMK, which was "indicted" by the Jain Commission that probed the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had forgotten that parties like the DMK and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) had "links" with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which killed her husband and had joined hands with them now out of "selfishness" to become Prime Minister, she charged.

Asking the audience as to who should lead the country whether experienced Vajpayee or "foreigner" Gandhi, she said that the latter had lived as an Italian citizen in India for 15 years and became Indian citizen only after Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister.

Referring to the Cauvery issue, Jayalalithaa accused Sonia of not showing any interest in getting the State's share of Cauvery water from Karnataka and asked how she could claim the support of Tamils for her alliance. DMK had also not done anything to solve the Cauvery issue, she charged.

Accusing DMK chief Karunanidhi of promoting his family by making all out efforts to get Dhyanidhi Maran, son of his nephew Murasoli Maran, elected, she said, "He is not making the same level of efforts with regard to other party nominees."