The Hindu : Front Page : PMK claim not proper: Karunanidhi

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Thursday, Mar 06, 2008
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PMK claim not proper: Karunanidhi

R.K. Radhakrishnan

Reveals he has conceded Congress demand for additional Rajya Sabha seat

CHENNAI: Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M. Karunanidhi told The Hindu on Wednesday that it was “not proper” on the part of the Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S. Ramadoss to demand a Rajya Sabha seat now since the DMK was not in a position to part with it.

He was confident that Dr. Ramadoss would understand the situation and help in ensuring the victory of the Democratic Progressive Alliance candidates.

Six Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant in the State. The DMK and its allies can comfortably win five of the seats. Revealing that the Congress had sought an extra seat, Mr. Karunanidhi said he had agreed to the demand. That left only three seats to be shared among the DMK and its allies since he was not for a contest in the Rajya Sabha elections. He confirmed that the DMK wanted to contest two of the seats, which left only one for the allies.

The PMK was given a seat in 2004 (as per the agreement for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections) and the CPI in the last Rajya Sabha elections. Hence the only ally that was yet to be accommodated was the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

“When Prakash Karat [CPI-M general secretary] spoke to me, I told him that we would consider giving the seat to them. I have not confirmed it to them,” he said, adding that the CPI (M) also needed to be accommodated.

Explaining the context in which he told the PMK that its claim would be considered in 2010, Mr. Karunanidhi said that party was given a seat in 2004 (R. Anbumani). That would fall vacant only in 2010. When Dr. Ramadoss met him last month, the PMK founder had not put forth the demand for a Rajya Sabha seat. It was only now this demand had come up.

Citing examples to prove that the DMK had always upheld ‘alliance dharma,’ Mr. Karunanidhi said in 2004, the DMK had 30 MLAs, Congress 25, PMK 19 and Left parties 11. Even then, the DMK did not stake claim to a seat and allowed the PMK and the Congress to contest (Dr. Anbumani and Sudarsana Natchiappan).

When Congress leader G.K. Moopanar and two others had to resign their Rajya Sabha seats following the formation of the Tamil Maanila Congress, it was the DMK that made the TMC members (N. Abdul khader, Jayanthi Natarajan and Peter Alphonse) contest in 1997 and enter the Upper House (DMK was in power then and had 165 MLAs). Though the DMK had 96 MLAs now, it was only contesting two seats and giving the remaining to its allies. These realities had to be borne in mind, Mr. Karunanidhi said.

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