Chennai, May 12: Ruling out joining any government at the Centre, the DMK, which is likely to be a major player in the event of a hung Parliament, today dismissed a possibility of returning to the NDA or repetition of the 1996 postpoll Third Front at the Centre.
Disclosing this to reporters after a meeting of Democratic Progressive Alliance headed by him, DMK president M Karunanidhi said the DMK would not join any government at the Centre.
Asked whether it was his personal opinion or the party's stand, he said "though it is my opinion, my general council or executive will accept my good opinions."
Asked what would be party's stand in case of a hung Parliament, he said, "let there be a hung Parliament first. then we will see."

Asked whether the 1996 experiment of United Front, in which DMK a prominent partner would be repeated, he said "there is no scope for a Third Front."

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He replied in negative, when asked whether the party would go back to the BJP-led NDA after the results were announced.

Asked whether he had any talks with the CPI-M general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet on the government formation, Karunanidhi said he had talked to Surjeet on May 01 at Madurai.

"In fact, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's meeting with Surjeet at New Delhi yesterday, was a follow up of that meeting," he said.

He expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made by the election commission for the peaceful conduct of the poll. "The Chief Election Commissioner was 99 percent strict," Karunanidhi said.

The DPA meeting was attended by TNCC president G K Vasan, PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss, MDMK chief Vaiko, CPI-M leader N Varadarajan, CPI leader R Nallakannu and IUML state president Khadhar Mohideen.

The leaders demanded the arrest of Tamil Nadu Sports Development Minister Inbatamizhan for his alleged involvement in a shooting incident on the MDMK's Sivakasi candidate a Ravichandran's car at Sattur on May 10.

It also held the Tamil Nadu government responsible for the large scale deletion of names from the electoral rolls and demanded action against the officials concerned. The parties decided to hold demonstrations in front of District Collectorates in the state on May 17 in support of these two demands.

Bureau Report