The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : MDMK will not be part of Centre: Vaiko

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 15, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

MDMK will not be part of Centre: Vaiko

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MAY 14. The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam will not participate in the next government at the Centre, the party general secretary, Vaiko, announced today.

Talking to reporters here, he, however, said his members of Parliament would sit on the treasury benches. There was no question of reviewing this decision.

Mr. Vaiko expressed hope that the Congress-led government would repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act, as the party opposed it in Parliament. The Left parties were also opposed to the POTA, he pointed out.

To a question, he said the party had no objection to the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, becoming Prime Minister.

The MDMK was against invoking Article 356 against States. But it wanted the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, to resign owning responsibility for the defeat of the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

A resolution adopted at the executive committee said the vote was against her government and its policies.

Another resolution thanked the electorate for rejecting the "communal forces" and paving the way for establishing a secular government. It extended its greetings to the proposed Congress-led government at the Centre.

The meeting urged the Election Commission to take action against State government employees who were responsible for large-scale discrepancies in the electoral rolls. It demanded the arrest of the State Minister, Inbathamizhan, for allegedly attacking the party candidate in Sivakasi, Sippiparai A.Ravichandran, on the polling day.

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