Wednesday, December 21 2005 16:49 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Assuring that relief packages would be given to each family affected by floods in the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today (Dec 21, 2005) asked people not to pay heed to 'malicious' propaganda by her political adversaries, 'headed by the DMK'.

"I am here to ensure that each affected family receives the relief package. I have promised this already and I shall ensure it. No one need therefore, have any apprehension of being left out", she said in a three-page statement. Expressing grief over the Dec 18 stampede in the city, in which 42 persons died, she said that it was due to her government's liberal policy that a record number of 18 lakh families had so far received the relief package in the state. In Chennai alone, a record 5.11-lakh families had received it.

"When this extraordinary and colossal relief effort is proceeding speedily, with full cooperation of people, it is reprehensible and disgusting that some vicious and mischievous anti-social elements, backed by my political adversaries headed by the DMK, bearing extreme animosity against my government, have so diabolically and systematically worked out a plan to discredit and besmirch my government's splendid record in flood relief", she said.

Jayalalithaa said that she was shocked by 'this callous and evil design' of rumour mongers who, 'burning with jealousy' at the good name earned by her government in extending flood relief packages to the people, "will stoop at nothing, including taking human lives".

She said, "these vicious, vengeful, venomous elements, backed by the DMK, which have been working against my government and aspiring for power by hook or by crook, have sought to besmirch the excellent work done by my Government by the dastardly action of spreading panic leading to the stampede".

Terming as 'baseless' the rumours spread by her political adversaries that those who came first, that is about 200 persons or so, would get the relief package, she said this again had "no basis in truth at all".

The government would continue the distribution of the relief package with no specified final date until every family received the relief package, she said.