Days after pullout, DMK goes soft on UPA

Zeenews Bureau

Chennai/New Delhi: Days after snapping ties with the Congress led ruling coalition at the centre, the DMK led by M Karunanidhi does want the UPA government to fall. In an apparent softening of stand on the Congress led government, the DMK executive committee on Monday said that it does not want to topple the UPA government as it would allow communal forces to form a government at the centre. "The Congress gave our party a lot of problems. But, we cannot allow communal forces to form a government," the DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan was quoted as saying. He made this remark following the executive meet of the DMK to chalk out the party’s future course of action against the UPA government for its slow response to the Sri Lankan Tamil issue. The executive meeting was attended by DMK chief M Karunanidhi, his son and party treasurer MK Stalin, parliamentary party leader TR Baalu, Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi and other seniors participated in the meeting. The party earlier indicated that there will be no change in its stand on the UPA government and the southern party will not extend any support to the Congress-led ruling coalition at the centre. The development was confirmed by DMK leader Tiruchi Shiva who said, “The party will not offer even outside support to the UPA.” The DMK central leadership also denied any rift within the party in wake of reports that former Union Minister MK Alagiri skipped the party meeting in an apparent indication of widening split in M Karunanidhi’s party. The clarification came after Alagiri, who is upset with the ‘manner’ in which the party pulled out of the UPA government, skipped the DMK meet left for Madurai. When quizzed by the reporters, Alagiri later defended self by asking is he the only one skipping the DMK executive meet. “Do all invitees attend the meet?" he was quoted as saying by media reports. He further told reporters that he will keep meeting his friends in Congress party as he can’t lose his friends. Alagiri also met his father and party chief M Karunanidhi on Sunday and conveyed his strong displeasure over the party’s decision to withdraw support to the Congress government at the centre. Sources close to the DMK claim that Alagiri is upset with younger brother MK Stalin, who is believed to have pushed Karunanidhi to pullout of the UPA government. Top DMK top leaders reportedly castigated the Centre for not taking a strong stand against Sri Lanka over its alleged war crimes. During the meeting, which was attended by top DMK leaders, including Karunanidhi, the party also formulated its future course of action over the Sri Lankan Tamil issue. Last week, Alagiri had separately handed over his resignation letter to the PM, four other DMK ministers too resigned on the same day. DMK sources claimed that this was Alagiri`s method of protesting against the fact that he had not been consulted about the DMK`s decision to quit the UPA government. Alagiri supporters claimed that he was not consulted before the DMK took the crucial decision of quitting the UPA government. Sources say that during the meeting, the DMK central leadership also gave justification to the withdrawal of the party support to the Centre. Sources also say that around 12 to 15 resolutions were passed in the meet. One of them will ask India to stop the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Colombo later this year, and if that meet is held then India should abstain from it.