Chennai, June 16
AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa has said that the Third Front would not support Pratibha Patil, the UPA’s nominee for the presidential election.
Talking to mediapersons after the AIADMK executive meeting here, she said, “We have taken a decision that we will not support a Congress nominee. It does not matter whether if it is a man or a woman. We will go by our decision.”
Jayalalithaa specified that it was not the decision of her party alone and clarified, “It was a collective decision of the parties who form part of the non-BJP and non-Congress Front."
She said that a final decision regarding the presidential election would be taken on Monday at the meeting of the Third Front.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi today said that the Election Commission hopefully would not fail to take action against Jayalalithaa following the Madras High Court’s directive.
He said, "At last, the world knows the truth that Jayalalithaa, by filing nominations in four constituencies during the 2001 Assembly polls, had committed an illegal act. After this, I hope the EC will take action against her.”
The Madras High Court on June 13 had held that there was prima facie evidence to take action against Jayalalithaa for filing false declarations and directed the EC to initiate action against her in accordance with the law within six
weeks.
