The Hindu : Seat-sharing talks satisfactory: DMK

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 20, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Seat-sharing talks satisfactory: DMK

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JAN. 19. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president, M. Karunanidhi, today described as ``satisfactory'' the talks with the Congress leadership on sharing of seats for the Lok Sabha elections.

The ``foundation for a broad understanding'' was laid. The two parties would discuss seat sharing further. Right now, the two sides were talking about ``numbers'' to be contested.

So far, the Congress and DMK leaders talked to each other on three occasions.

The first was his telephonic conversation with the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, the second was with the Congress leader, Manmohan Singh, who met him here, and the third when the DMK deputy general secretary, M.K. Stalin, and the former Union Minister, T.R. Baalu, called on Mrs. Gandhi in New Delhi.

``A building does not come up the moment the foundation is laid,'' he told presspersons after presiding over a meeting of the DMK's high-level policy committee here.

The committee met earlier in December and it now discussed the political developments which had taken place since then. Its members were briefed on the status of alliance with parties.

Asked whether the DMK would contest a majority of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in the State, Mr. Karunanidhi said consultations were still on. Mrs. Gandhi was now in Kashmir and he would have a clear picture of who would meet the DMK leadership on seat-sharing after she returned to New Delhi. The party also considered whether it should invite her to its south zone conference, to be held at Virudhunagar on February 21 and 22.

Denies DPI charge

On the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) charge that both Dravidian parties did not accord the importance that Dalits deserved, Mr. Karunanidhi said this was not true of the DMK.

While many leaders, including Mrs. Gandhi and the Communist Party of India general secretary, A.B. Bardhan, had greeted him for having parted ways with the National Democratic Alliance, the DPI general secretary, Thol. Thirumavalavan, was yet to speak to him on either this or about the Lok Sabha elections.

Similarly, though the Puthiya Tamizhagam president, K. Krishnasamy, had met him and conveyed his Pongal greetings, the two leaders did not talk about the Lok Sabha polls.

Asked whether the former Union Minister, Murasoli Maran's son, Dayanidhi Maran, would contest from Central Chennai, the seat held by his late father, Mr.Karunanidhi said he could not comment on this. It was up to the party to take a decision.

``Misuse'' of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the need for scrapping it would be one of the campaign issues.

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