Amidst indications that its ties with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam are deteriorating, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has said that it would not give up its "self respect" and knee down before others.
MDMK chief Vaiko, speaking at a function at suburban Ponnamallee Sunday night said, "I was in the prison under Prevention of Terrorism Act for 19 months. MDMK is a movement full of self-respect. I will not give up self-respect at any cost."
"We will fight till the end and will not knee down before anybody," he said.
MDMK has not so far responded to the DMK's invitation for seat sharing talks amidst reports that it might either go with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or face the Tamil Nadu assembly polls on its own.
Vaiko also said he would respect his partymen's sentiments while taking any decision on "all affairs".
His reported remarks to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he might go in for a 'Paswan formula', continuing ties with United Progressive Alliance at the Centre and go on its own in the state, and his remarks that he had not forgotten his imprisonment under POTA assumed significance, with the possibility of him contesting the polls on his own, which he did in 1996 and 2001.
His remarks left everyone guessing on which way he would be moving in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Congress Monday said it wanted MDMK to continue in the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance and expressed hope that the uncertainty over the issue will end soon.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief M Krishnasamy, in his first press conference after assuming office, said the alliance's leader and DMK president M Karunanidhi was seized of the matter and was talking to several persons on the issue.
"I hope that the issue will be settled soon," he said.
Krishnasamy said his top priority would be to gear up the Congress machinery for the assembly polls.
"Our goal is to unseat the dictatorial and arrogant AIADMK government from power in the state and work for the victory of Democratic Progressive Alliance in the polls," he said.
Congress Working Committee member Veerappan Moily, after consultations with the senior leaders in Chennai on February 25, will submit the party's "wish list" and the number of seats it would like to contest to Karunanidhi on that day.
The party's electioneering would also be kickstarted on that day at a public meeting in Chennai, addressed by Moily and other senior leaders, he said.
The first meeting of the recently constituted co-ordination committee and the TNCC Election Committee would also be held on that day, he said.