DMK to stay with UPA govt, for now

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) today decided not to pull out from the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition at the Centre.

Its apex body met here today to deliberate on events in the wake of the arrest and jailing in Delhi of its representatives, ex-telecom minister A Raja and party supremo M Karunanidhi's daughter and Rajya Sabha member, Kanimozhi, in the telecom spectrum case. The party decided to fight the spectrum allegations legally.

Karunanidhi, state chief minister till he was ousted in last month’s election results, chaired today’s meeting. Also attending the meet were his sons, M K Stalin, former deputy chief minister; M K Alagiri, Union minister for chemicals and fertiliser; former state finance minister K Anbazhagan and other leaders. It was the first such meeting after the legislative assembly elections.

The decision is to remain in the UPA government at Delhi and battle the 2G allegations in court. The party said it condemned the arrests of Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV (where the equity is owned by Karunanidhi’s family) managing director Sharad Kumar. Their applications for bail have been turned down by the trial court and the high court, on the prosecution’s urging.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has charged Kanimozhi with accepting Rs 214 crore, allegedly bribe money for telecom licences issued by Raja’s ministry, through Kalaignar TV. Raja was made to resign as telecom minister last November and was arrested in February. He has remained in judicial custody.

Karunanidhi later told journalists, in answer to queries, that the party and he were not disappointed that the Congress hadn’t helped them on the case. Commenting on the latest controversy concerned party member (and his grand-nephew) Dayanidhi Maran, now Union textile minister, Karunanidhi said, he (Maran) would answer all the questions himself.

The party has six ministers in the UPA Government —Maran, Alagiri, S S Palanimanickam, Gandhiselvan, D Napolean and S Jagatrakshakan. It has 18 Lok Sabha MPs.After the arrests, relations between the Congress and DMK had started souring. For the first time in seven years, after DMK became a key ally for the Congress, Karunanidhi had come to Delhi and left without meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He was in Delhi at the end of last month to visit Kanimozhi in jail.

Political observers and party workers have said they were not surprised by today's decision. "It would be a big mistake for the DMK to pull out of the alliance at such a time, when they are at a disadvantage. The party needs clout in Delhi now," they added.

The DMK’s arch-rival, the AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu’s new chief minister, J Jayalalithaa, has repeatedly offered to support the UPA if the Congress sends the DMK out of the central government. Her party has nine Lok Sabha MPs.

Sonia Gandhi had telephoned Jayalalithaa after the latter’s sweeping win on May 13 in the state assembly election.