DMK will not break ties with TMC, asserts Karunanidhi

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M Karunanidhi on Friday declared that his party would not break its alliance with the Tamil Maanila Congress on its own. He, however, questioned the motive of TMC leaders in criticising him and the DMK government.

Addressing the media at Madras, Karunanidhi wondered what the motive was behind such criticism. He pointed out that at a recent public function, a TMC leader said the DMK government was ''three times worse than the previous Jayalalitha government''.

He added that the TMC leaders had also accused state Agriculture Minister Veerapandi Arumugam of receiving a bribe of Rs 20 million. "Could such allegations by an alliance partner be construed as constructive and friendly?" the chief minister queried.

The TN CM said his party was for the continuation of the alliance with the TMC. The DMK had never broken its ties with an ally on its own in the past, he pointed out.

Asked if TMC leader and federal Finance Minister P Chidambaram's frequent statements that Kamaraj rule (meaning, TMC rule) should be restored in the state would create friction between the two parties, Karunanidhi said, ''The DMK also has a right to continue Anna rule (Dravidian rule) and work for it.''

However, he felt that there was nothing politically wrong in both the parties aspiring to power or to continue in power.

Asked if the TMC criticism of the DMK government was a prelude to the breaking of ties, Karunanidhi replied, "I don't know."

The chief minister said he had boycotted the Madras Fertiliser Corporation function on Thursday since he had not been properly invited. At the ceremony, Chidambaram dedicated the revamped MFC to the nation.

Asked if the boycott amounted to rebuffing the TMC leaders, especially Chidambaram, and revealing a strain in the relations between the DMK and the TMC, Karunanidhi replied that the media was free to interpret it in any way.

As for Chidambaram's charge that lower-level DMK functionaries were still following corrupt practices although the top leadership was clean, the DMK chief asked Chidambaram to point out specific instances so that he could take action.

UNI