In a strange explanation for her party's u-turn on its decision on not voting, Jayalalithaa blamed Election Commission for creating "unnecessary confusion".
CHENNAI: In a strange explanation for heparty's u-turn on its decision to abstain in the presidential election, AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa today blamed the Election Commission for creating "unnecessary confusion" on the issue that led party MPs and MLAs to vote in the polls.
In a statement, she said she had gone out of Chennai in the early hours of the day and learnt of what had transpired in her absence only in the afternoon.
She said, being unable to comprehend the ramifications of the Election Commission's "wholly avoidable note" issued on July 17, AIADMK MPs and MLAs came to the conclusion that they would have to face undesirable consequences if they did not
cast their vote. So, "by way of abundant caution, they themselves decided to cast their votes in the presidential election", she said.
Jayalalithaa had earlier announced the decision of the new Third Front, of which the AIADMK is a key member, to abstain from the presidential election.
In her statement, she said she had planned to convene a meeting of her party MPs and MLAs yesterday to give them directions in this regard.
The Election Commission suddenly came out with a press note on July 17 that "created a lot of unnecessary confusion in the minds of all concerned", she said.
"The EC's note created unnecessary fear and panic in their ms. There was no one to explain the correct position to them since convening of any meeting was forbidden and would be misinterpreted as issuance of a whip," she said.
Jayalalithaa said she had sought legal opinion and clarifications from constitutional experts and senior lawyers till yesterday afternoon.
"I was advised that convening a meeting of my party MPs and MLAs would be misinterpreted and misconstrued by the EC as an attempt to influence and intimidate my party MPs and MLAs and therefore such a meeting should not be convened," she
said.
"I was also advised that I should not issue any kind of statement and that I should not give any instructions to AIADMK MPs and MLAs. Therefore I kept silence."
AIADMK MPs and MLAs are accustomed to receiving clear directions and detailed instructions from her on all important occassions and issues. But since no instructions
were issued by her on the presidential polls, the MPs and MLAs were thrown into confusion, she said.
Justifying the voting by AIADMK MPs and MLAs, she said "this turn of events has occurred only because of the extreme confusion generated by EC's unwarranted and unnecessary note issued in the late evening on July 17 and not due to any other
reason".
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