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Equidistance no more: MDMK

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI March 1 . The MDMK general council today ratified the party decision to shed its founding policy of keeping equidistance from both the AIADMK and the DMK, and to work with the DMK for protecting ``Dravidianism'' and the secular fabric of the country. However, its stand on the BJP was ambiguous.

``We decided at the Thanjavur general council on the principle of equidistance. Now our decision makes a shift,'' the presidium chairman, L. Ganesan, told presspersons here.

The MDMK was also prepared to work with any other party which subscribed to secular values and upholding Dravidian principles.

The party condemned the comments made by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad — at its Tiruchi meeting — which were aimed at ``creating communal disturbances,'' and said the secular fabric of the State was under threat from such organisations and also the AIADMK Government, which ``sought to blatantly appease the majority community''. The MDMK took exception to the VHP leadership criticising E.V.R. Periyar and the former Chief Minister, C.N. Annadurai. People should realise the designs of such forces, the party warned.

But, it refused to take a stand on whether the BJP was a party which encouraged communalism. Mr. Ganesan, recalling the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani's speech at the Tirunelveli MDMK conference, said the BJP leader had stated his party stood for secular values. But its recent actions, including the stance on Ayodhya, seemed to indicate that it was moving away from stated ideals.

The Union Minister, Gingee Ramachandran, said right now the MDMK was part of the National Democratic Alliance. There was no room for a debate on the relationship with the BJP; it could be talked about later when need arose.

The party condemned the AIADMK Government decision to privatise bus routes and also asked the Union Government not to sell off profit making public sector units. It wanted the State Government to repeal the law on forcible conversions.

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