State BJP to keep quiet on PMK entry issue

By Radha Venkatesan

CHENNAI, JULY 22. The Tamil Nadu BJP has decided to ``keep mum'' on the issue of the possible return of the PMK into the NDA, until the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, takes a decision.

Embarrassed by the conflicting statements issued by the State BJP leaders, the party's core committee met here on Saturday, and decided to remain circumspect on the PMK re-entry issue.

``We have left the decision to the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee. And, we have decided not to air our views any further,'' the State BJP president, Dr. S. P. Kirubanidhi, told TheHindu.

Ever since the PMK quit the AIADMK-led Front, the BJP leaders have been coming up with disparate statements-from stoutly opposing the re- entry to welcoming the PMK.

Initially, the BJP's vice president, Mr. Rama Rao, declared that the NDA was not a ``choultry'' for parties to ``come in and go out''. However, he said that the Prime Minister would take the final decision on re-admitting the PMK.

The State BJP general secretary, Mr. L. Ganesan, went a step further, insisting that welcoming the PMK which had quit the NDA only four months ago would be tantamount to ``opportunism''.

However, as the DMK which leads the NDA in Tamil Nadu appeared to be warming up to the PMK, Mr. Kirubanidhi clarified that the State unit was yet to finalise its stand.

Immediately, Mr. Ganesan too said that his initial stand opposing the PMK's re-entry was only his ``personal view''. And, in a dramatic volte-face, he said there was a view in the party that PMK's support would strengthen the DMK-led Opposition against the ``authoritarian'' Jayalalithaa regime.

In a bid to put an end to the swirl of conflicting statements, the State BJP's core committee decided that none of the functionaries would air their views, until the Prime Minister decided one way or other on the issue.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : When a man is God, savant, king and mortal
Next     : TRC to form an alternative to Dravidian parties