Dmk Offers To Support Vajpayee Govt

Amidst the war of attrition between the BJP and the AIADMK leader Jayalalitha, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government has been offered support by the 6 MP-strong DMK, whose leader, M Karunanidhi, yesterday said the government should be allowed to complete its full term.

In the game of numbers, the DMK's support is not enough to offset the potential withdrawal of support of the AIADMK (18 MPs) or the AIADMK-led alliance (26). The government is also assured of support of at least two of the 6 MP-strong Janata Dal.

(BOLD) The relations between BJP and the its main southern ally appeared to have reached a point of no return. AIADMK leader and Union minister of state for personnel, R Janarthanam, yesterday defiantly said: "We shall see how the government survives if we withdraw support".(BOLD)

Three Janata Dal MPs had won with the support of BJP's allies: S Jaipal Reddy (with the support of Telugu Desam), I K Gujral (Akali Dal) and Ram Vilas Paswan (Samata Party). However, of these, only Gujral and Paswan are expected to vote in support of the coalition in the event of a confidence vote. Karunanidhi said, "It is unacceptable to unseat any government before the completion of its term. If the government is toppled, it will be a disgrace to Indian democracy."

He appeared upset with the Tamil Maanila Congress, unilaterally announcing that it would support a Congress-led government if the situation so arose. He said the DMK would also take an independent decision on the question of supporting the BJP government if other constituents of the United Front took an "individual" decision.

According to Karunanidhi, disunity among the coalition partners had brought the governance of the country to a standstill, and he blamed Jayalalitha for it. He said the Cauvery accord and nuclear tests were some of the positive achievements of the Vajpayee government but disunity among coalition partners was the reason for its poor performance.

He said the BJP-led coalition had gone to pieces as Jayalalitha, who believed that she would be relieved from the cases filed against her and his government would be dismissed, was thoroughly disappointed as these did not materialise.

"In a fit of anger, she has started intimidating the Centre with withdrawal threats which created uncertainty in the political scene," Karunanidhi said. He declined to comment on her allegation that "some persons very close to Vajpayee" had been paid hefty bribes to shift ED chief M K Bezboruah.