| DMK will have three Cabinet
ministers at Centre, deadlock ends Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M
Karunanidhi is said to have reached a compromise with senior party leaders individually
at his residence here on Sunday over Cabinet portfolios. According to informed
party sources, Karunanidhi’s grand nephew Dayanidhi Maran, his eldest son M. Azhagiri
and senior leader A Raja will be the DMK’s choice for full Cabinet rank in the
UPA Government at the Centre, while former Shipping and Surface Transport Minister
TR Baalu has been shown the door for the time being. These decisions are likely
to end the political impasse between the DMK and the Congress over portfolio allocation,
though Karunanidhi is said to be quite disappointed over his inability to have
Baalu accommodated. Sources said that they expect some leader from the Congress
to fly down to Chennai to announce the formal induction of the DMK into the Congress-led
UPA government. Some sources, however, said they expected some more meetings to
take place, especially with supporters of Baalu, who are said to be unhappy over
the latest development. The sources said
there is still every chance of a reversal on the decisions taken so far. "The
party chief is meeting senior party leaders individually and a final decision
on joining the UPA government is expected be known this (Sunday) evening," a DMK
senior leader said, requesting anonymity. "Our demand was nine ministerial berths.
The Congress may settle down for seven," the leader said, adding that first time
parliamentarians may not be given cabinet rank but only Minister of State. After
several rounds of talks on sharing of ministerial berths failed, the DMK had announced
last Thursday that it would support the UPA government from outside. The DMK leader
said the Congress wants to keep the infrastructure portfolios like shipping, surface
transport and power. However, the DMK is keen to complete the Sethu Samudram project
and it feels that if a party member is not given the shipping portfolio then the
project to create a shipping canal in the Palk Strait will remain in limbo. However,
the general feeling in the leadership is that the DMK will join the government.
He said if the DMK decides to participate, then a Congress leader would come down
to Chennai and both the parties would jointly announce the DMK's joining the government.
Earlier senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader and eldest son of party supreme
M Karunanidhi, M Azhagiri, created a political controversy of sorts on Sunday,
when he said that the Congress leadership had not discussed portfolio allocation
with the DMK during their meetings in New Delhi last week. He said that the decision
on portfolios would only be determined after the Congress contacts his party leadership
in Chennai. Azhagiri’s controversial comment came as Karunanidhi was locked in
discussions with senior party leaders till late Saturday night, grappling with
the question of whether the DMK should accept ministerial berths and portfolios
offered by the Congress. With the second expansion of the cabinet taking place
on Tuesaday (May 26), sources say the deal with the Congress could be clinched
today. Karunanidhi is faced with the dilemma of dividing the cabinet berths currently
on offer between the family and the party.
Meanwhile, key Congress negotiator, Ghulam Nabi Azad, has said there are no differences
of opinion with the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) party. "There is no problem
whatsoever with DMK (Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam). We had mutually decided that
we would fix some other day to talk to each other because this time we did not
have much time. The date of swearing in ceremony was already fixed. And it needed
two-three sittings and even DMK itself also said that we'll sit on some other
occasions," Azad said. Durai Muruga, a DMK leader, said: "We have discussed all
the issues of the party, you asked about joining the Centre and that was also
discussed in the meeting and I cannot reveal all the discussed matter to press
at the moment." Emerging as the third biggest party in the United Progressive
Alliance (UPA) after the Congress and the Trinamool Congress with 18 seats, DMK
is believed to have demanded seven ministerial posts, which was not acceptable
to the Congress. Karunanidhi visited New Delhi on May 19 and held discussion with
Prime Minister-elect Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, but the talks
were stalled over allocation of cabinet berths. While the move will not deprive
Congress of a majority in parliament, it is seen as a blow to the coalition after
it won a sweeping victory in the general election. Other regional parties in the
543-member Lok Sabha have assured support to the Congress-led coalition of 274
members. |
