Wednesday, January 4 2006 15:13 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Charging that Union Minister A Raja, was 'stalling' the 100 MLD desalination plant proposed by her Government for Chennai, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said she would not rest until it was built, overcoming and 'smashing the obstacles' created by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) ministers in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government.

"The people of Tamil Nadu will now understand clearly the selfish, perfidious and dangerous role played by the DPA combine represented by the 12 Union Ministers from Tamil Nadu and their patriarchs like M Karunanidhi and Dr S Ramadoss," she said in a four-page hard-hitting statement here today (Jan 4, 2006).

These leaders, she said, were 'running for cover,' faced with the fact that "My Government has endeared itself to the people and its popularity is soaring. This is the reason why they are resorting to such underhand and deceitful practices such as trying to stop the 100 million litres a day (MLD) desalination plant from taking off, throwing to the winds the welfare of the people," she said adding the people would 'teach' them a fitting lesson.

By raising several queries, the Central Minister, Raja, belonging to the DMK, had 'surreptitiously blocked' the plant, proposed by her to find a permanent solution to the problem of meeting the drinking water shortage to the citizens of the city, she charged.

"This unscrupulous perfidy against the people of Chennai and Tamil Nadu tears apart the smokescreen of pretence and deceit of bringing projects and programmes for the people practised by the DPA," she said.