The Hindu : Beginning of an alliance: DMK chief

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 31, 2003

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Beginning of an alliance: DMK chief

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI DEC. 30. The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, today telephoned the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president, M. Karunanidhi, marking "the beginning of an alliance" between the two parties.

Mr. Karunanidhi said she conveyed New Year wishes to him and he reciprocated the gesture. He considered that this marked the beginning of an alliance with the Congress.

Apart from Ms. Gandhi, the Communist Party of India leader, A.B. Bardhan, also called him up earlier expressing his party's happiness over the DMK's decision to come out of the NDA. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, had told him that he would meet him when he came to Chennai, he said in response to a question.

The DMK, Mr. Karunanidhi said, was prepared for elections any time and there was still a lot of time for talks on seat sharing. The seats to be contested by a party would be decided on the basis of chances of victory. On the Pattali Makkal Katchi's decision to stay in the NDA, he said he did not want to add anything more to what he had said earlier.

He thanked the general secretary of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Vaiko, for having agreed to consider his request and apply for bail.

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