Jan 4 : Marumalarchi DMK(MDMK) General Secretary Vaiko today said Chief Minister M Karunanidhi is treating the party as his family property.

Talking to newspersons here, Mr Vaiko said during the tenure of DMK founder and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, late C N Annadurai, even the poor and downtrodden people were encouraged to become legislators, unlike the tenure of Mr Karunanidhi.

Mr Vaiko said it is a shame that all the important posts in the party were given to the family members of Mr Karunanidhi only.

The MDMK supremo said though a resolution had been passed in the Assembly against the gruesome murder of Tamils in Sri Lanka and condemned by the entire state, the Centre failed to take steps to stop the atrocities against Tamils by the Lankan Government.

He alleged that rampant corruption is prevailing in the state. The money allocated for planning and development of the state had been misused by the ruling party to garner votes during the elections, he added.

Mr Vaiko said media resorted to agitation all over the state when three employees of a Tamil daily were brutally murdered at Madurai sometime ago. A renowned English daily here has accused in its editorial that the present Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister M K Azhagiri, was responsible for the untoward incident.

The MDMK founder regretted that the law-enforcement agencies in the state, which voiced its condemnation earlier against the dastardly attack on the newspaper employees had turned volta-facie, as the verdict in a court case went against the journalists championing for the cause of the deceased.

He said alarming price rice of essential commodities has caused considerable inconvenience to the common people.