Expressing his willingness to form a secular alliance in the State to prevent “communal forces” from coming to power at the Centre, DMK president M. Karunanidhi has said his party would encourage such efforts from secular parties.
He was responding to a question whether he would bring together secular parties and other parties that were not part of the DMK alliance to create a strong front.
“If secular parties take the initiative, we will encourage them,” he said while talking to reporters after the executive committee meeting of the party.
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He was apparently referring to the possibility of widening the alliance with the inclusion of the Left parties and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) led by actor Vijayakant.
But such an arrangement, primarily roping in the Left parties, will not be possible so long as the DMK is part of the Congress alliance at the Centre. The DMDK, now under severe pressure from the ruling AIADMK, and facing number of cases against its leader Vijayakant and others, could, however, be open to such an alliance.
The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has said it will not join any front in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
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The DMK executive meeting also adopted a resolution urging the government to ascertain the report that retail giant Wal-Mart had entered Tamil Nadu and is enrolling retail traders for supply of goods.
“The government so far has not confirmed the report. While Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has opposed FDI in retail trade, Wal-Mart’s entry through the backdoor and the government’s stand on the issue is condemnable,” the resolution said.
The DMK justified its decision to vote for FDI in retail trade, arguing that any other stand would have paved the way for communal forces to capture power. “Moreover the Centre promised that the decision to allow FDI in retail has been left to the state governments,” the resolution further said.