Reacting strongly to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s charge that opposition parties seem to have played a hand in the recent law college violence in Chennai, Opposition Leader and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa said she would initiate legal action against him for the “baseless allegation” he directed against her to “escape from the wrath of the public”.

On Sunday, answering questions from the media about the Opposition’s demand for his resignation over the caste-based clash in the Dr Ambedkar Law College campus on November 12, Karunanidhi had said he suspected that the incident was instigated by opposition parties to discredit his Government.

“In the last 29-month period under the DMK Government, Tamil Nadu has come under a severe power crisis, price rise and law and order problems. To escape from public ire, Karunanidhi is accusing me of instigating violence inside the campus, an irresponsible allegation from someone who is the Chief Minister,” Jaya said in her statement on Monday, adding she would initiate legal proceedings on defamation charges against Karunanidhi. She also said it was inappropriate of the CM to have made his accusation at a time when retired Justice P Shanmugam is probing the matter. This, she said, indicated that the Government wanted the judicial commission to come out with a report featuring similar allegations.