The Hindu : Front Page : DMK leadership rejects PMK’s claim for Rajya Sabha seat

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Wednesday, Mar 05, 2008
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DMK leadership rejects PMK’s claim for Rajya Sabha seat

T. Ramakrishnan

PMK to hold meeting of MPs, MLAs tomorrow
DMK says PMK was accommodated in 2004

M. Karunanidhi

CHENNAI: Upset over the refusal of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leadership to accommodate the Pattali Makkal Katchi’s claim for a seat from the State to the Rajya Sabha, PMK founder Ramadoss on Tuesday decided to hold an emergency meeting of his party Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly in the city on Thursday.

Elections are to be held for six seats from the State to the Upper House in Parliament later this month. Filing of nominations begins on Saturday and the date of polls [if there is a contest] is March 26.

On Monday and Tuesday, G.K. Mani, PMK president, met DMK president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at the Secretariat and staked the claim. But, the DMK did not agree to the PMK’s plea, Dr. Ramadoss told The Hindu over phone from his Thailapuram Garden residence. The DMK’s explanation was that the PMK was accommodated in 2004 when its nominee and the present Union Health Minister R. Anbumani got elected to the Rajya Sabha.

“This happened during the previous Assembly term and prior to the DMK government coming to power in May 2006. Importantly, that was part of the agreement arrived at during the run-up to the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. So, the DMK’s argument does not hold good,” Dr. Ramadoss said, adding that Mr. Karunanidhi told Mr. Mani that the PMK’s case would be considered in 2010. Pointing out that his party had 18 MLAs in the present House, Dr. Ramadoss wondered why his party was accorded such a treatment, even though it had been providing “unconditional and outside support” to the DMK regime.

Of the five seats the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance would be able to win, the current indications revealed that the ruling party and the Congress would field two candidates each, leaving one to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), he said. While he was for giving greater space to the DMK’s allies, the PMK leader recalled that the Communist Party of India was allotted one Rajya Sabha seat last year, though this, according to him, was not part of any electoral deal. The same would be true in the case of the CPI (M).

This was despite the CPI and CPI (M) being smaller in numerical strength in the Assembly compared to the PMK. The CPI had 6 MLAs and the CPI (M) 9 MLAs. “Considering our strong case, any judge would give the ruling in our favour. Yesterday (Monday), the party district secretaries and office-bearers met here [Thailapuram Gardens] and felt that we should be given one seat,” Dr. Ramadoss said, adding that the future course of action would be decided during Thursday’s meeting in Chennai.

Sonia speaks to Karunanidhi

On Tuesday afternoon, Congress president Sonia Gandhi spoke to Mr. Karunanidhi over phone on the Rajya Sabha elections.

S. Ramadoss

This follows last week’s meeting between Congress leader M. Veerappa Moily and Mr. Karunanidhi, during which he handed over a letter from Ms. Gandhi. A DMK release said that the leaders talked about Congress contesting the elections.

The DPA meeting scheduled for Friday has been postponed indefinitely, said a DMK release.

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