Jayalalithaa's statement gross contempt of court: Chidambaram

Referring to her remarks in a press conference in New Delhi on the issue, he said, "She knows that her candidate Rajakannappan has filed an election petition in the Madras high court and that is pending since September 2009. Her statement is therefore in gross contempt of court."

The home minister said that Jayalalithaa has the habit of "starting on the wrong foot" and "she has always had utter contempt for court proceedings and hence her statement is not at all surprising".

He said Rajakannappan had also contested the Assembly elections last month and lost from one of the segments falling under his parliamentary constituency Sivaganga.

"Perhaps, she would say that that election result was also fraudulent," he said.

The Congress dismissed as "uncontrolled" Jayalalithaa's statement. "How can any party give its reaction on such an uncontrolled statement? The person concerned will respond," All India Congress Committee General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters.