Sonia Gandhi-DMK ministers’ meet inconclusive
A meeting on late Monday night between Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) ministers Dayanidhi Maran and MK Alagiri failed to reach a solution, dragging the stalemate between the two parties on to Tuesday.
The two parties still haven?t not been able to find a middle ground over the seat sharing issue, media reports said.
All eyes are on Tuesday as the six DMK ministers in the Union Cabinet had refrained from tendering their resignations with the Congress seeking more time from their estranged alliance partner to sort out the issue of seat sharing in Tamil Nadu.
Union Finance Minister and senior Congress party leader Pranab Mukherjee earlier had urged the DMK to rethink its decision of breaking off their alliance.
He spoke twice to their party supremo M Karunanidhi during the day. DMK leader M K Stalin said Congress has sought one more day to decide on seat sharing.
“Pranab Mukherjee spoke to Karunanidhi twice today. Congress has asked for one more day to decide. Our ministers will not quit today,” said senior DMK leader MK Stalin at the party’s headquarters Anna Arivalayam in Chennai.
“We will have clearer picture by tomorrow. It’s not possible to share everything with the press,” DMK MP and Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi told reporters.
The six DMK ministers to resign were: Dayanidhi Maran – Textiles, Alagiri – Chemicals and Fertilizers, S Palanimanickam – MoS Finance, D Napoleon – MoS Social Justice and Empowerment, S Jagath Rakshakan – MoS Information and Broadcasting, S Gandhiselvan – MoS Health.
The ministers were to meet the Prime Minister at 6:30 pm and submit their resignation letters on Monday.
“DMK Ministers will handover their resignation. As of now there is no reconsideration by the DMK. It’s now for the DMK leaders to decide. I am not a fortune teller,” DMK Parliamentary Party leader TR Baalu had earlier said.
The DMK had on Saturday night decided of pulling out its ministers from the Union Cabinet following differences with the Congress over seat sharing in Tamil Nadu elections.
The DMK, the third largest ally in the United progressive Alliance (UPA) after the Congress and Trinamool Congress, has six members in the Union Cabinet.
The strife over seat sharing arrangement for the coming Tamil Nadu Assembly election virtually brought down the seven-year-old alliance between Congress and DMK on Saturday.
The DMK decided to withdraw its ministers and only extend ?issue-based? support.
The decision was reached after a high level meeting of the DMK on Saturday evening chaired by the party?s chief and Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi.
Karunanidhi apparently told the meeting that the stalemate over seat-sharing was a veiled effort by the Congress to push them out of the UPA, media reports said. Hence, the party had to reconsider the decision with carrying on the alliance, he was quoted as saying.
Even after three rounds of discussions, the impasse between the two parties refused to break the Congress demanded a larger chunk of constituencies to contest on in the state elections and also inclusion in the government.
But Karunanidhi had refused to give in to the demands of the Congress, which was given 48 seats last time.
?Both parties had agreed that the Congress would get 51 seats. But the DMK offered 60 seats. Is it right to demand 63 seats? Is it fair for the Congress to decide on the constituencies it would contest?? he said on Friday.
