Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday accused union home minister P Chidambaram of having got himself elected in the 2009 general elections through "fraudulent" means.

"His position in the union council of ministers has become untenable," Jayalalithaa said at a press conference here, calling for Chidambaram to resign.

She asserted that the Congress leader had actually lost the polls for the Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu and was, however, announced as the winner because of a fraud perpetrated by a data entry operator.

Maintaining that the AIADMK (her party) candidate had won the elections then, she said, " Mr Chidambaram was never elected to the Parliament in 2009. He has played a fraud on the nation."

The home minister has responded saying that Jayalalithaa's statement is "gross contempt of court" and that she had a habit of starting on the wrong foot.

The Tamil Nadu chief minister met prime minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday morning with a memorandum listing 65 demands and proposing a four-point agenda for development for the southern state. The state has demanded allocation of central funds for various development projects. Jayalalithaa is also learnt to have requested the PM for additional 1,000 MW of power from the national grid to help the state tide over a crippling power shortage.

On being asked about the state government's stand on graft charges against DMK leaders, she said that the central government was taking requisite action. "The AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu has no role to play in it," she clarified further.

However, she lashed out at union textiles minister and DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran over his role in the 2G scam saying that the prime minister should drop Maran from the cabinet if he refused to resign.

Extending support to Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev, Jayalalithaa said, everyone had a democratic right to protest.

She also called for providing Tamil fishermen with greater protection, as there have beeen incidences of unprovoked attacks by the Sri Lankan navy against them.

PTI Reports
Accusing home minister P Chidambaram of getting himself elected to Parliament through "fraudulent" means, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday said his continuance in the Union Council of Ministers was untenable and sought his resignation.

"Our party has always maintained that Mr Chidambaram's victory was through fraudulent means...his continuance in the union council of ministers is untenable," Jayalalithaa told reporters at her maiden press conference in New Delhi after assuming office last month.

"Mr Chidambaram was never elected to Parliament in 2009. He has played a fraud on the nation. Our party candidate won the election," she said when pressed further on the issue.

The chief Minister alleged that Chidambaram was announced the successful candidate because of a fraud committed by a data entry operator.

She also said that Dayanidhi Maran should step down from the union cabinet over allegations of quid pro quo in the 2G scam and if he does not do on his own, the prime minister should drop him.

On whether there was a possibility of Congress and AIADMK coming together again, Jayalalithaa said the DMK and Congress continue to be partners and both parties have been maintaining their alliance.

Asked whether she was open to the idea of aligning with the Congress in the event of the DMK walking out, she said, "I cannot answer hypothetical questions."

To a question whether she would meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, she said as of today, Congress still has an alliance with the DMK and Congress and DMK continue to be partners in the coalition government at the Centre.

"In such a situation, it would be not be appropriate for me to call on Sonia Gandhi."

To a volley of questions on whether Congress and AIADMK could come together again and whether her offer of support to Congress made in November, 2010 is still open, she said the situation has completely changed since then.

"Much water has flown down the bridge. The offer was made in a different situation," she said.

Earlier, during her meeting with the prime minister, she proposed sending a delegation of Tamil Nadu MLAs to Sri Lanka to see for themselves the condition in which Sri Lankan Tamils displaced due to the decades-old civil war are living.

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Jaya's statement on PC 'uncontrolled', says Congress

Congress on Tuesday dismissed as "uncontrolled" Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's statement seeking the resignation of home minister P Chidambaram for allegedly getting himself elected to Parliament through "fraudulent" means.

"How can any party give its reaction on such an uncontrolled statement? The person concerned will respond", AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters.

The reaction of Dwivedi, who is also head of the Congress Media department, came after Jayalalithaa said Chidambaram's continuance in the union council of ministers was untenable.

Later, Chidambaram dubbed as "gross contempt of court" Jayalalithaa's charge. "She knows that her candidate Rajakannappan has filed an election petition in the Madras High Court and that is pending since September 2009. Her statement, is therefore in gross contempt of court."