The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) parliamentary party leader, T. R. Baalu, on Saturday said it was up to the party president M. Karunanidhi to review the party's position on the withdrawal of the DMK Ministers from the Union government if the Congress settled for 60 seats and expressed its desire to continue in the alliance.
He told The Hindu that the decision to pull out the Ministers was made only in view of problems that arose over seat sharing. It had nothing to do with the 2G spectrum issue. “Had it been so, we would have taken this decision long back,” he said.
Asked whether the organisation would reconsider its decision if the Congress came forward for talks, he said: “It is for our leader to consider this. But we are not able to offer more than 60 seats.”
The contents of the statement issued by the DMK president on Friday midnight were conveyed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A.K. Antony, he added.
He did not view the latest development as the end of the seven-year-old DMK-Congress alliance. “We are all friends. Our friendship will continue,” he said.
Talking to The Hindu over phone from Chennai, Deputy Chief Minister and DMK treasurer M. K. Stalin said, “Tomorrow being Sunday, a holiday, the Ministers would submit their resignations on Monday.”
While Congress media department Chairman Janardhan Dwivedi said the party would not like to comment on the DMK's decision to pull out from the Cabinet unless it got the official confirmation from the DMK, the Nationalist Congress Party urged the DMK to review its decision and not withdraw support to the UPA.
NCP general secretary D.P. Tripathi said: “Our main concern is to strengthen UPA and there should be no attempt to weaken the alliance.”
