No ally interested in coalition government: Karunanidhi

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M.Karunanidhi on Monday hoped that seats sharing talks with Democratic Progressive Alliance allies would be completed before the party’s Tiruchi conference in early March.

"We are taking efforts to complete it," he told presspersons here after chairing a meet of district secretaries. Mr. Karunanidhi said he could not say for sure now if the names of the candidates would be announced at the conference.

When asked about his comment that he was not keen on becoming Chief Minister again, party general secretary K.Anbazhagan intervened to say that it was his [DMK chief’s] personal opinion. On his assertion during the last Assembly election that it was his last election, Mr.Karunanidhi said that any decision he took was subject to the approval of the general council.

On the chances of the next regime being a coalition government, he said that no party in the alliance was keen on forming a coalition government. This was the situation earlier and it held good even now. Asked if the DPA would win the elections, he said the people had decided that the alliance should win and that the DMK should form the Government.

On his meeting with Forward Bloc leaders, Mr.Karunanidhi said that there was no discussion on that party joining the DPA. He and Debabrata Biswas, AIFB leader, had talked about the DMK’s close relations with the Left parties and also about the fact that both parties were not on the same side because of certain circumstances. They shared the view that both parties should be on the same side.

On more parties joining the alliance, Mr. Karunanidhi said that parties with strong organisational set-ups would be part of the DPA. On the question of the Dalit Panthers of India joining the alliance, he said that this was yet to be discussed.

Mr.Karunanidhi said the alliance was intact and that the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was part of it.

Sonia invited

The DMK chief announced that he had invited Congress president Sonia Gandhi for the Tiruchi conference as the DMK was a constituent of the United Progressive Alliance as well as the Central Government. The party had not invited any other national leader, he said. Mr.Karunanidhi said that he held detailed discussions with district secretaries on holding the conference, slated for March 3,4 and 5.

The DMK announced that its treasurer Arcot N.Veerasamy would head a seats sharing committee. It would talk to various constituents to decide on allocation of seats. Deputy general secretary M.K.Stalin, Veerapandi S.Arumugham, A.Raja, I. Periyasami and Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan would be the members. The committee would begin its work once the election notification is issued, he said.