CHENNAI: Senior AIADMK leader and former minister D Jayakumar called the ruling party's announcement to hold a state-wide hunger protest on August 20 over the NEET row as political vendetta and said the DMK party was unable to withstand the AIADMK's preparedness for the massive conference in Madurai.
"Our party's August 20 conference is giving sleepless nights to the ruling party. Hence, the DMK's youth wing leader Udhayanidhi announced the hunger protest. But it will have zero effect on the Madurai conference, " Jayakumar told the media persons after flagging off the Madurai conference publicity campaign vehicle on Wednesday.
He continued in the same vein and said the DMK has no moral rights to protest against the NEET. He recalled that it was the Congress-DMK led UPA government that had passed the NEET bill.
He called Chief Minister and DMK leader M K Stalin's announcement to boycott the Independence Day tea party at Raj Bhavan over Governor R N Ravi's pro-NEET stand to divert the issue.
He criticised the DMK government for booking a case against the AIADMK for installing banners and flags posts.
Commenting on the Congress MP Su Thirunavukkarasar's statement that Jayalalithaa was not attacked in the Tamil Nadu assembly in 1989, Jayakumar termed the statement as a blatant lie