Jayalalithaa gives Congress MLAs a history lesson on Mahatma Gandhi

It isn’t easy to go up against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in a debate as Congress party members discovered on Monday when she gave them a brief lesson in the history of their own party in order to bolster her argument that Mahatma Gandhi had wanted to dissolve the party. The debate began when AIADMK leader K P Munuswamy argued that Mahatma Gandhi had wanted to dissolve the party, a statement that wasn’t well received by Congress party members. While Munuswamy said it was history and there was no need of proof, Jayalalithaa was more than ready to stand by her minister and bolster his arguement. Jayalalithaa chose to read  excerpts from ‘The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi - Volume 90’ to make her point. [caption id=“attachment_684329” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Jayalalithaa has taken on the Congress often in recent times. AFP[/caption] “Though split into two, India having attained political independence through means devised by the Indian National Congress, the Congress in its present shape and form, i.e., as a propaganda vehicle and parliamentary machine had outlived its use,” she told the Congress party workers. While her favourite target in the state Assembly is usually the DMK, this isn’t the first time Jayalalithaa has taken on the Congress in recent times. Earlier she had claimed ’the Hand’ had betrayed the people of Tamil Nadu by not supporting the state in its economic endeavors, making little attempt to conceal who the target was. “That Hand (Congress) not only reduces kerosene allocation to the state but also jacks up the prices of petroleum products frequently. We don’t know how to handle (the situation)…By doing so (Congress has shown) it is the Hand that betrays Tamil Nadu.”she reportedly said. She had also blamed the Centre for its ‘anti-people policies’ resulting in a price rise.