Wednesday, August 24 2005 17:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Setting at rest speculation that the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Khazhagam (AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu might go in for early assembly elections, Chief Minister and party supremo Jayalalithaa today (Aug 24, 2005) said there was no such proposal.

'There is no proposal for an early election to the state assembly. We are not going for early polls," she told reporters here when asked about speculation that the AIADMK might go in for dissolution of the assembly ahead of its term which expires in May, 2006.

On the opposition's charge that she was announcing lot of welfare schemes and measures only with an eye on next year's assembly polls, she said it was the duty of any Government to introduce schemes, which benefited people.

"How you term that this is in view of the polls," she asked.

Asked whether her party would align with other parties for the assembly polls, she said 'there is plenty of time to think over it', adding that she had an open mind on alliance issue.

To another question on whether any party had approached her for alliance, she retorted 'even if some parties approach us, how can you expect me to reveal it now.'

Stoutly denying Dravida Munnetra Khazhagam (DMK) President M Karunanidhi's charge that her Government was 'misusing' the police to create a split in the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance in the state, the Chief Minister said she could not understand how this could be done.

'Probably, he might be a master in using police,' he said.

She said after the recent ban on the Naxalite groups in the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the state police was maintaining a strong vigil in the border areas to prevent the infiltration of the members of these groups into the state.

Jayalalithaa said the State Government had sent to the President for consent a draft ordinance to nullify some of the amendments to Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which led to a series agitations by lawyers in the state.

Meanwhile, the centre had not issued any notification to give effect to the amendments to the CrPC, she said adding that the ball was in the Centre's court now.

Jayalalithaa welcomed the passage of Employment Guarantee Bill in the Lok Sabha.

She said she was happy to note that some of the suggestions made by her at the National Development Council Meeting like reduction of the share of the cost of implementation from 25 per cent to 10 per cent and at least one third of the beneficiaries of the scheme should be women had been accepted.

"It would have been better if the women were given 50 per cent reservation. Anyway, I welcome the bill," she said.

On the demand of dismissed road safety workers for their rein station, she said, "The matter is before the Supreme Court. We are waiting for the court's verdict."