Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Monday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and discussed various issues, including passage of women's reservation Bill in Parliament which has already been approved by the Rajya Sabha.
Besides inviting them for the World Classical TamilLanguage Conference 2010 to be held in Coimbatore, Mr. Karunanidhi also took up other issues, including Congress-DMK relationship vis-à-vis controversies surrounding Union Ministers A. Raja and M.K. Alagiri.
Later talking to reporters, Mr. Karunanidhi said since Dr. Manmohan Singh and Ms. Gandhi had come to Chennai only recently for the inauguration of the new Assembly complex, he did not insist on their participation in the conference.
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Mr. Karunanidhi also discussed with Prime Minister the issue of providing employment in the Salem Steel Plant to the families who had provided land for establishing the plant. Such assurance of giving jobs in the plant had already been given to the people earlier, he said.
He asked Ms. Gandhi to ensure that the Women's Reservation Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha at the earliest.
The Chief Minister replied in the negative when asked whether he took up the issue of central intervention in resolving inter-State water disputes between Tamil Nadu and neighbouring States with Prime Minister.
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He had already spoken about this in the Planning Commission meeting held here on Monday and hence there was no necessity to take it up again with Dr. Singh, who is also the Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Karunanidhi said. To a question, he said he was not aware about PMK coming back to DPA headed by the DMK in Tamil Nadu. Similarly he did not consult Ms. Gandhi on providing Rajya Sabha seat to Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss of PMK, whose term in the Upper House expires in the next few months.
About providing medical treatment to LTTE chief V. Prabhakaran's mother Parvathi Ammal in Chennai, Mr. Karunanidhi said the State government had written a letter to the Centre stating that she might be allowed subject to conditions like that she should undergo treatment in a hospital selected by the State government, the treatment cost be borne by the government and she should take necessary security cover.