CHENNAI: Completing 100 days in office, that saw her shower freebies and reverse DMK's pet schemes, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today alleged in the Assembly the M Karunanidhi-led party had pumped in Rs 5,000 crore during the April 13 elections."The DMK was heavily dependent on money power rather than muscle power or others. Do you know how much money they pumped in for the elections? Rs 5000 crore," she said in a speech to mark her 100 days in power after inflicting a crushing poll defeat on DMK depriving it of even the main opposition status in the assembly.Recalling the stringent measures taken by the Election Commission to curb money power during the elections, she said Rs 50 crore had been reportedly seized."I came to know that some DMK men said they were not bothered by it as it was like little water spilling out of a pot full of water," she said.Without directly naming Union Minister M K Alagiri, she said the DMK men had said this money was pumped in by him.She said the voters were not lured by money or other enticements by DMK and had given a mandate to her party and its allies returning over 200 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly.In her first action after assuming office on May 16, Jayalalithaa dumped Karunanidhi's pet project -- Rs 1,200 crore new secretariat-assembly complex, which would now be used as a multi-speciality hospital, and scrapped free colour TV distribution scheme, and replaced the health insurance and housing schemes with revamped ones.Implementing poll promises on freebies, Jayalalithaa has introduced the free rice scheme, gold for mangalsutra and initiated the process for distribution of free laptops to plus two students and mixer-cum-grinders, allocating over Rs 8,000 crore in the budget.During her 100 day rule, Jayalalithaa has also launched a crackdown on land grabbings that has seen several DMK district leaders and some former ministers being jailed, prompting the party to dub it as a political vendetta.In her speech today, Jayalalithaa said the previous DMK regime had left the state with a debt burden of over Rs one lakh crore while the Centre was not helpful.Elaborating on the fund crunch in the state, she said that she was like the mother of 10 hungry children who had only one 'dosa' to feed them all."A good mother will share the dosa equally among 10 children though it would not satisfy all. But only that is available. I am in the position of such a mother. We intend to do so much for the people of Tamil Nadu," she said.Referring to the freebies such as rice, goat and milch cows, Jayalalithaa said she wanted the people to reach a stage where they would not require such sops.
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