The Hindu : Karunanidhi planning to snap ties at national level too: BJP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 01, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Karunanidhi planning to snap ties at national level too: BJP

By Our Special Correspondent

Chennai Dec. 31 . The war of words between two key National Democratic Alliance allies in Tamil Nadu touched a new low today with the all-India BJP secretary, L. Ganesan, accusing the DMK president, M. Karunanidhi, of having contrived an "open plan" to break ties with his party at the national level as well.

A day after Mr. Karunanidhi accused the State BJP of having hatched a secret conspiracy to align with the ruling AIADMK, Mr. Ganesan hit back at the DMK leadership: "The BJP will not do anything secretly. What we want to do we will do openly."

Significantly, Mr. Ganesan told the media here that the BJP had no allies (including the Pattali Makkal Katchi and the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) in Tamil Nadu and that its "alliance options" were "open" for the 2004 Lok Sabha election.

"The political situation is changing. We are free and independent and there is no alliance in Tamil Nadu. And, we will decide on our allies at the time of the parliamentary elections, depending on the emerging situation."

Mr. Ganesan also took a swipe at the Congress and communist parties for "eagerly waiting" to tie up with the DMK, after easing the BJP out of the alliance.

"The two parties cannot win a single Assembly seat without the help of either the DMK or the AIADMK. As they have come out of the AIADMK alliance, they want to tie up with the DMK. That is why they are asking the DMK to jettison the BJP."

`Party with a difference'

Mr. Ganesan said the DMK was angry with the BJP because "we do not fall in line". It wanted the BJP to oppose the AIADMK in toto. "But the BJP cannot do that. We are a party with a difference and don't treat anyone as our enemy. We appreciate the good deeds of the AIADMK Government."

The DMK, he said, had aligned with the BJP only for two reasons. One, out of "gratitude" to the Vajpayee Government for not having dismissed its regime in 1998 despite AIADMK insistence. Two, for the "negative" reason that the DMK considered the AIADMK not an opponent but arch-enemy.

"But, the BJP will not consider any party its arch-enemy. As constructive Opposition, we will support the AIADMK's good programmes and policies," he said.

The caustic statement from Mr. Ganesan, who till a couple of months ago was considered the lone pro-DMK voice in the BJP, is yet another indicator of a major realignment in Tamil Nadu.

In February this year, the DMK set the stage for a dramatic change in political equations, snapping ties with the State BJP, even while remaining a constituent of the NDA Government at the Centre.

Signs MDMK petition

However, the BJP finally signed in its support for the MDMK's one-crore signature campaign, demanding the release of its leader and MP, Vaiko, detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for his alleged pro-LTTE speeches.

Though it initially claimed that the MDMK had not asked for the party leaders' signature and that they would not affix it without reading the contents of the MDMK petition, Mr. Ganesan inked his signature when the MDMK leader, L. Ganesan, called on him at the State BJP headquarters here today.

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