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Relations with Left won’t be affected, says Karunanidhi

— Photo: DIPR

STRONG TIES: Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Wednesday said the DMK’s relationship with the Left parties would not be affected at the State level in view of withdrawal of support by the Leftists to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and their joining hands with UNPA and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to form a new front. He said he wished that the present DMK-Left relationship would continue.

“The new front they (Left) have formed is different from the DMK-Left parties relationship in Tamil Nadu,” he told journalists after calling on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to congratulate them for the UPA’s victory in the confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The DMK’s relationship with the Congress was as strong as before and the poll alliance would continue in the next election, he said.

Though he had no second opinion on the elevation of a Dalit woman such as Mayawati to the level of Prime Minister, the DMK would, however, support only the UPA’s Prime Ministerial candidate. Asked who it would be, he jocularly remarked: “It could even be me.” When questioned whether the UPA was replacing Dr. Manmohan Singh in the next poll, he shot back: “Don’t try to create a rift between us by asking such a question.”

Mr. Karunanidhi made it clear that there was no question of reconsidering ties with the Pattali Makkal Katchi. When a reporter suggested that the DMK-PMK divide could help the AIADMK, he quipped: “I don’t know about that.”

On the money displayed by the BJP MPs in the Lok Sabha during the confidence motion, he said it would be a “murder of democracy” if the incident (bribe offer) had really happened. If not, it was a criminal matter.

About the expulsion of Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee from the CPI(M), he said he had high regard for him; since it was the decision of Mr. Chatterjee’s party, he did not want to comment.

Mr. Karunanidhi discussed administrative and political steps to be taken in view of the victory of the UPA in the confidence vote when he called on Dr. Singh and Ms. Gandhi.

He refused to answer a question on giving union ministerial berth to his daughter and Rajya Sabha member K. Kanimozhi.

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