Assuring to secure statehood with special category status to Pondicherry, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo Jayalalithaa Saturday launched her party-led Democratic People's Alliance's campaign for the coming Assembly elections in the Union Territory.
She also promised to introduce an act on the lines of the 'Goondas Act' in Tamil Nadu to check growth of 'terrorists', who she said were seeking asylum in the Union Territory following the crackdown on them by her government in the neighbouring state.
Seeking votes for AIADMK and its alliance partners -- Puducherry Munnetra Congress, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Dalit Panthers of India, Jayalalithaa, addressed the public from her campaign van as she drove through various Assembly constituencies.
She charged the successive DMK and Congress governments with having caused havoc to the quality of administration.
Corruption was an accepted evil in Congress rule, she alleged.
Accusing the Pattali Makkal Katchi of seeking to make the JIPMER an autonomous body with a view to "utilising" the premier health institute as a "family asset", she said her party if voted to power would prevent it. The welfare of 3,000 odd workers of JIPMER would be taken care of, she said.
She sought the support of voters to make Pondicherry a developed state. The DPA would take steps to relieve the youth of the problem of unemployment.
Her other assurances included protection of women through all-women police stations and upliftment of fishermen, Scheduled Castes and physically challenged persons.
Winding up her campaign in Pondicherry, she left for the neighbouring Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu.
