Even while reiterating his hope that people of the State want single party rule to continue, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has hinted that if there is a compulsion for a coalition government, he will take a decision on the matter after discussing it with allies.
Answering a question on the possibility of a coalition government in the event of the DMK-led front's victory in next month's Assembly elections, Mr. Karunanidhi told CNN IBN on Monday that only after the polls were over, could one talk about the formation of a single party rule or a coalition government.
He pointed out that though the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was the ruling party, it formed a pre-poll alliance with other parties including the CPI and formed the government accordingly after the elections. He added that the people of Tamil Nadu would accept the single party rule of the DMK.
Asked whether the DMK-Congress ties would last after the elections, given the level of strain they witnessed during the seat-sharing negotiations, the DMK leader replied that if there were differences between the State government and the Centre, they could be over policy matters or the State's demands for more sanctions of its schemes. However, there was no difference in fundamental ideologies such as stopping communalism and propagating social equality.
The Chief Minister also recalled how Congress leaders – Sonia Gandhi and Arjun Singh – were helpful in getting the status of classical language for Tamil.
On the questioning of his wife Dayalu Ammal and daughter Kanimozhi in connection with the 2G spectrum controversy, Mr. Karunanidhi asserted that the spectrum was “not a scam at all.” This had been explained earlier.
Clarifying that the Kalaignar TV channel was not owned by him, he said the channel had his name but he held no stake in it. His wife had 60 per cent stake while his daughter and Sharad Kumar had 20 per cent stake each.
Referring to the explanation given by Mr. Sharad Kumar on the channel taking a loan, he said the loan had been repaid along with interest. This had been conveyed to the Income Tax authorities too. He wondered how it could be called a scam. He hastened to add that as the matter was before the Supreme Court, he did not want to comment on it. He blamed some political parties for blowing the issue out of proportion.
On the leadership succession issue in the DMK, Mr. Karunanidhi termed his party as a democratic organisation and said that its senior leaders and cadre would collectively select a person they felt would be capable of handling the position.
