Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday denied any violation of the model code of conduct during her campaign in Yercaud Assembly constituency on November 28.
The Chief Minister said she had not announced any new schemes during her campaign and that her speech in Tamil had not been correctly reflected in the English translation.
Replying to the notice sent by the Election Commission on December 2, the Chief Minister said in her speech on November 28 she had only referred to various developmental schemes already implemented and under implementation in the State after she assumed charge as Chief Minister of the State for the third time.
“I made a general statement that whatever is required for the uplift of the people in the area will be provided. It would not be correct to link the unrelated general statement with the requirements which were brought to my notice,” the Chief Minister said.
Jayalalithaa clarified that she had not announced any financial grant in any form, or promise thereof, and did not make promise of construction of roads and provision of drinking water facilities in violation of the model code of conduct in force for the December 4 bypoll.
The Chief Minister said the EC’s notice was on the basis of a conjunctive reference to the needs of the area and assurance to meet the development requirements by the government.
Stating that presumably the DMK, political rival of the AIADMK, had lodged the complaint, Jayalalithaa said, “There is no basis for coming to such a conclusion in the fourth paragraph of the notice (making promises to the electorate of poll-bound constituency) and that too by making a conjunctive reference, which is mere surmise and suspicion and which is inadmissible in law, more so in the case of interpreting the model code of conduct.” She requested the CEC to drop the proposed action against her.