Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

DMK MPs discuss alliance for Lok Sabha poll

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI NOV. 30. The DMK president, M. Karunanidhi, today said the party initiated preliminary discussions on alliance for the Lok Sabha elections. As there was still time for the elections, the question of firming up an alliance could wait, party MPs and district secretaries decided at a meeting here.

The functionaries critically examined the State BJP's announcement that it would remain equidistant between the DMK and the AIADMK. Mr. Karunanidhi said, according to information he had, the announcement had the BJP high command's clearance. This was also stated by State leaders here who issued the statement, he said.

The DMK had not suggested anyone in the place of the Union Minister, Murasoli Maran, in the Cabinet ``as only about eight months are left (for the next election).'' Also, there was no formal request from the Centre to the DMK to nominate an MP to the Cabinet, Mr. Karunanidhi said.

Reacting to the Congress Jananayaga Peravai general secretary, P. Chidambaram's comment that his party would strive to put together a non-DMK, non-AIADMK coalition for the 2006 Assembly elections, Mr. Karunanidhi said Mr. Chidambaram continued to club the DMK with the AIADMK. After each such speech, the CJP leader, B. Ranganathan, contacted the DMK treasurer, Arcot N. Veerasamy, to assure him that Mr. Chidambaram would not do so in future. The DMK still tried to reach out to the CJP, but there was no response from the party.

On the charge that it was the Dravidian parties which were responsible for the lifting of prohibition, Mr. Karunanidhi said that statistics before 1967 (when the DMK came to power) revealed that as many as 2.5 lakh people had been charged under prohibition offences and sent to jail.

On protests against establishment of cooperative retail vending outlets in some areas, he said that any attempt to set up liquor shops in residential areas deserved to be condemned.

The DMK meet also discussed how the functionaries at various levels should work during electoral rolls revision and details of the December 15 anti-POTA agitation to be organised in front of Central and State Government offices.

Parliamentary party leader

Earlier, the MPs chose the Union Environment Minister, T.R. Baalu, as leader of the parliamentary party, the LPF president, C. Kuppusamy, the deputy leader in the Lok Sabha and S.S. Palanimanickam, the chief whip. Viduthalai Virumbi was named the party leader in the Rajya Sabha, M.A. Khader, the deputy leader and S. Sivasubramaniam, the whip. S. Akkiniraj was chosen as the party treasurer for both Houses.

The MPs and the district secretaries paid rich tributes to Maran, and placed on record the party's deep appreciation of his services to the party, the State and the nation.

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