The Hindu : MDMK quits NDA

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 30, 2003

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MDMK quits NDA

By K. Ramachandran and
R.K. Radhakrishnan

COMING OUT OF THE NDA: The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary, Vaiko, being produced in a POTA court at Poonamallee, Chennai, on Monday . — Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

CHENNAI Dec. 29. The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) today quit the National Democratic Alliance blaming the Bharatiya Janata Party for moving closer to the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu. The two MDMK Ministers in the Union Government, M. Kannappan and Gingee N. Ramachandran, will submit their resignations to the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, tomorrow.

Announcing this to mediapersons today after a two-hour meeting of the party's highest policy-making body, the MDMK chairman, L. Ganesan, said: "If we continue in the NDA, our party's credibility will be in question." There was apprehension that the BJP was moving closer to what he characterised as the "anti-people" AIADMK. "We also feel the need to strengthen the Dravidian movement today. The only way to do so is to continue our relationship with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam [which has already withdrawn from the NDA]," he said.

Asked whether the MDMK would follow the DMK's example of providing issue-based support to the NDA Government, Mr. Ganesan said that whenever an issue came up, his party would take a decision keeping in mind the interests of Tamil Nadu.

The MDMK was upset that the Centre had not come to the rescue of its general secretary, Vaiko, arrested by the Tamil Nadu Government under the Prevention of Terrorism Act on charges of extending support to the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. "That could also have been one of the reasons for our coming out of the NDA," Mr. Ganesan said.

Asked for his comments, Mr. Vaiko, who was produced in the Poonamallee court today, said that everyone in the party felt that the MDMK should have left the NDA the day the DMK made the decision. The delay was only on account of the need to discuss the issue in the party fora. Discounting rumours of a division in the ranks, he said that one view conveyed to him was that the party should remain in the NDA for a few weeks longer. "But we cannot remain in the NDA merely because there are a few benefits coming our way. That is not correct," he said and added that he had the highest regard for the Prime Minister.

Mr. Ganesan said the AIADMK was running an "anti-people and anti-democratic regime" in Tamil Nadu, giving the "go-by" to the principles of Dravidian leaders such as Annadurai and E.V.R. Periyar. The MDMK's major aim today was to campaign among people to oust the regime in the State. But the State unit and the national leadership of the BJP were giving enough indications that they were not averse to aligning with the AIADMK.

To a question, he said there was no need to seek bail for Mr. Vaiko. In the light of the Supreme Court's interpretation of POTA, Mr. Vaiko would be acquitted in the trial court. If required, the party would move the Supreme Court to get the trial expedited in the POTA court in Chennai.

The MDMK chairman refused to discuss whether the DMK and the Congress would come together for the general election or whether the Congress would accept as an ally the MDMK, known for its moral support to the LTTE.

However, he said that as far as Tamil Nadu was concerned, the DMK would be the leader of the anti-AIADMK alliance.

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