AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday flayed DMK on law and order situation during its previous rule alleging the regime was marred by interference in police functioning, land grab and other similar issues.
Addressing an election rally here, the Chief Minister said the "hands of police were tied" during the DMK rule to prevent them from acting on complaints and recalled how the party leader and former Minister, late Veerapandi S. Arumugam, himself faced land grab charges in the district.
"Even ministers in collusion with anti-social elements were involved in land grab. Fake documents were prepared to snatch away property even as the hands of police were tied to prevent acting against such complaints," she alleged.
DMK functionaries of different ranks and "many power centres" did not allow the police to work freely, she alleged.
After the AIADMK came to power in the 2011 elections, the police were given a free hand to act on complaints and allowed to function sans political interference, she claimed, adding, the rule of law has been established in Tamil Nadu now.
The number of crimes have also reduced, Jayalalithaa, who holds the Home portfolio, said. She claimed around 6,000 complaints were lodged during the DMK regime on such issues but chargesheets were filed only in around 300 of them.
"Many people would have lost property. That is why my government set up special cells and courts to probe and dispose land grab and property cases," she said.
Acting on over 3,200 cases of land grab and property issues, over 5000 acres of land worth about Rs 3600 crore and 38 lakh sq ft of houses have been restored to rightful owners since the AIADMK government came to power, she claimed.
She asked the voters to close the doors on DMK by raising this issue, when its leaders and candidates come, seeking their votes.
Making it an electoral plank in 2011, Jayalalithaa had then assured to probe land grab cases against DMK leaders and filed cases against many of them, including Arumugam.
She alleged Arumugam and his supporters had forged documents and "intimidated and forced" 23 families of a locality in Salem out of their residential space in 2008.
"Police took no action then. But my government resettled all the 23 families in the same place in April 2012 where they continue to reside," she said.
Among others, Jayalalithaa underscored her party's commitment for women empowerment and listed various welfare schemes being implemented for them.
Criticising DMK chief M. Karunanidhi for questioning the timing of her government enacting a law this year allocating 50 per cent reservation for women in local bodies, the CM said he sees everything from election perspective.
It was enacted at whatever point of time in the past five years, it would have come into force only in this year's local body elections, she added.
