Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

We can co-exist with Congress: MDMK

By R.K. Radhakrishnan

CHENNAI DEC. 31. The former Union Minister and senior Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader, Gingee N. Ramachandran, today said he did not foresee any problem in the MDMK and the Congress being part of the same front.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is taking efforts to put together a strong coalition, he said and added that its president, M. Karunanidhi, would ensure that the MDMK did not face any problem in the front.

Mr. Ramachandran, who met the MDMK general secretary, Vaiko, in the Special Court for POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) cases, Poonamallee, near here, said the primary aim of all right-thinking parties in the State was to end the "autocratic and anti-people" rule of the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

At a time when people were suffering because of State-sponsored atrocities and a steep rise in the price of essential commodities and services, all parties should come together to oppose the Government, he said and added that the Congress and the MDMK shared the view that the AIADMK Government had brought misery to the people.

The top MDMK leadership would meet shortly to consider the appeal by Mr. Karunanidhi, who wanted Mr. Vaiko to seek bail.

The MDMK's other former Union Minister, M. Kannappan, was in New Delhi, and the presidium chairman, L. Ganesan, was also away. The two would meet Mr. Vaiko before convening the top party fora to discuss the issue. No date had been fixed for the meeting, Mr. Ramachandran said.

In the party leaders' view, since the Supreme Court had held that a mere expression of sympathy or verbal support for a banned organisation would not attract the POTA, Mr. Vaiko would not have problems in seeking bail. The ruling gave the relief Mr. Vaiko had prayed for, the MDMK leaders said.

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