CHENNAI: Senior AIADMK leader and former minister D Jayakumar on Thursday said that they would not take a step back from contesting the Erode East Assembly bypoll. He shrugged off the controversy over the posters with the National Democratic Progressive Alliance tag in the poll bound Erode East constituency and called it a “typographical error.” He said that they would soon sort out the issue over alliance parties in their front.

“We will never backtrack (from our decision),” Jayakumar said categorically when responding to a question whether they, akin to ousted AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam, would pull back their candidate if the BJP jumps into the fray. He said this after calling on Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo to petition against the alleged irregularities in the poll bound Erode East Constituency.

Jayakumar downplayed the row over the poster and said that it was a typographical error and there was nothing to read between the lines. “The AIADMK party will give due respect to the leaders of the alliance parties. As far as the Erode East bypoll is concerned, it (alliance) is in a preliminary stage. The names and pictures of all the leaders of the alliance will be found in the posters when the alliance comes to a final stage,” he said. He said this while responding to the question whether the missing pictures of BJP leaders would find place in AIADMK’s election posters and banners.

EPS-led AIADMK is heading the alliance in the state, he said and added that BJP leaders never interfered in the AIADMK party’s internal issue. He ridiculed OPS as “Man Kuthirai” (clay sand horse) and said the people and his supporters were well aware about it and said, “none can freeze the ‘Two-Leaves’ symbol.”

In his petition to CEO Sahoo, Jayakumar said that the party’s booth level committees found 30,000 to 40,000 voters were untraceable in the Erode East Constituency. The ruling party functionaries were attempting to create fake voters ID to make use of the situation and demanded appropriate action to prevent such anti-democratic activities of the ruling party.

He slammed the DMK government for not allowing fishermen community to air their views during the public hearing over the pen memorial for former chief minister and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi. He also questioned the intention to build the memorial a feet higher than 133 feet tall Tiruvalluvar statue in Kanniyakumari.