Tarique Anwar, BeyondHeadlines
New Delhi: Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is also the in charge for assembly election in Tamil Nadu, said today that no consensus could be reached in talks between the Congress party and the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) over the seat sharing dispute.
Union ministers of DMK will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today at 6:30 p.m. (IST) to hand him over their resignations as their party has withdrawn support from the incumbent Union Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
DMK Parliamentary Party leader TR Baalu said: “DMK ministers will hand over 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.”
He further said that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee talked to him and requested M Karunanidhi, DMK chief and Tamil Nadu chief minister, reconsider the decision to withdraw support from the UPA government. It is expected that the Mukherjee wil also talk to Karunanidhi and to resolve dispute.
However, a section within the DMK is hell bent to withdraw its ministers from the union cabinet.
Sources in Congress party who are close to the development told BeyondHeadlines, on the condition of anonymity, that the party would independently contest the state assembly election if no agreement is reached with the DMK within the next 24 hours. The sources also revealed that the party might form an alliance with smaller parties as a third front in Tamil Nadu.
The sources also said that the Congress leadership has ruled out the possibility of forging ties with J Jayalalithaa’s All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
DMK has six ministers in the union cabinet. They are Dayanidhi Maran, textiles minister; S Palanimanickam, union minister of state for finance; D Napoleon, union minister of state for social justice and empowerment; S Jagath Rakshakan, minister of state for information and broadcasting; and S Gandhiselvan, minister of state for health.
