Don't exceed limits, DMK chief warns MDMK

By M. R. Venkatesh

TIRUKOVILUR, APRIL 18. The DMK president and Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, today charged the MDMK led by Mr. Vaiko, with ``needlessly triggering'' a major crisis for the NDA at the Centre, by going overboard in attacking the DMK in the Tamil Nadu poll campaign.

Dramatically queering the pitch, Mr. Karunanidhi warned the MDMK against exceeding limits in its anti-DMK tirade, as Mr. Vaiko still continued to be part of the NDA at the Centre.

If the MDMK continued to lambast the DMK, more than the former criticised the AIADMK, ``we may be forced to apprise the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee on this issue,'' he said.

Mr. Karunanidhi was addressing a election meeting here in support of Mr. T.K.T. Murali, Rishivandiyam candidate of the New Justice Party, part of the NDA in the State.

Pained that the MDMK in its election campaign over the last few days decried the DMK as a ``group of looters and as a haven for plunderers'', with a view to support the AIADMK leader, Ms. Jayalalitha, he said the DMK would have to take a decision on this if MDMK continued in this fashion. ``We will then be compelled to meet Mr. Vajpayee and ask him whether he wants the DMK or the MDMK to be part of the NDA at the Centre.''

Pointing out that he was happy the MDMK had remained part of the NDA at the Centre after snapping ties with the DMK in the State, over the seats allocation row, Mr. Karunanidhi said he hardly expected such a nasty turn in the MDMK's war of words against the DMK now.

Mr. Karunanidhi said the DMK had given 18 of the seats out of the 21 constituencies earmarked for the MDMK under the seat sharing accord, from the list of 43 constituencies given by Mr. Vaiko.

The DMK could not accommodate the three other seats sought by MDMK as it overlapped with the interest of the BJP and Puthiya Tamilagam, he said. But Mr. Vaiko made this ``an all or nothing issue'' without again coming for talks.

``Only then we realised that it was part of a deliberate plan by the MDMK to quit the DMK-led front with a view to helping Ms. Jayalalitha by splitting the NDA votes,'' Mr. Karunanidhi said.

After a whistle-stop tour of Villupuram and Perambulur districts, the DMK chief rounded off the campaign with a public meeting at Cuddalore tonight.

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