National Conference leader and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah on Friday called on DMK president M. Karunanidhi at his CIT Colony residence. He termed his visit a courtesy call.
DMK sources told The Hindu that while Dr. Abdullah confined his conversation to general political trends in the country, given the DMK’s firm stance against an alliance with the Congress, he did appeal to Mr. Karunanidhi not to allow circumstances that would give an upper hand to anti-minority forces.
While DMK sources strongly felt that he could have come with a feeler from the Congress, the question of an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls did not figure during the discussion.
Emerging after a 10-minute meeting with the DMK chief, Dr. Abdullah told mediapersons that he had met Mr. Karunanidhi only to “wish him well and to enquire about his health”, and declared that politics was not on the agenda.
“I’m like his son…the son does not discuss politics with his father,” said Mr. Abdullah who is Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy in the UPA Cabinet.
To a question whether the UPA was crumbling due to dissent among coalition partners, he retorted that while there had been some rumbles here and there, the problems were sorted out and the UPA was emerging stronger.
