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Karunanidhi rules out patch-up with State BJP

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Dec. 27 . Ending all chances of a rapprochement between the State unit of the BJP and the DMK, the former Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi, today said he agreed with the BJP that there could a political realignment in the next elections.

Mr. Karunanidhi ``seconded'' the ``proposal'' made by the BJP national secretary, L. Ganesan, that there could be realignments for the 2004 elections and that he (Mr. Ganesan) would not elaborate on this.

Asked whether the DMK was moving out of the BJP combine in word and deed, Mr. Karunanidhi shot back: ``In the first place it is not a BJP coalition. The name of this front is the National Democratic Alliance.'' Each party in the combine had its own ideology and practices, but in the NDA these were set aside. The NDA had a programme, agreed upon by all partners and all parties to the alliance were adhering to it.

On the BJP president, M. Venkaiah Naidu's comment that the Gujarat experience should be replicated in other States, Mr. Karunanidhi said the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, himself had replied to it. Problems would be created for the DMK only if such a decision was taken by the NDA.

Mr. Karunanidhi said the recent meeting between the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh deserved to enter the Guinness book. Explaining, he said the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, stated she had talked about the Krishna water problem. The meeting lasted for an hour and, as far as he knew, officials who were in the know of the subject were not present.

On the health condition of the Union Minister, Murasoli Maran, now undergoing treatment in the U.S., Mr. Karunanidhi said he was improving. He would recover in a couple of months.

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