DMK leaves door open for reconciliation

Senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader T R Baalu on Saturday night indicated that his party could review its decision to pull its ministers out of the Union Cabinet if the Congress relents on its stand over sharing of seats in the upcoming assembly polls in Tamil Nadu.

Baalu also said the DMK's six Union ministers will hand over their resignations only after a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and that there is no move to fax their resignations right away.

"Definitely we will have a discussion if they (Congress) reconsider. If the Congress agrees for 60 seats we will reconsider out decision(to pull out of Cabinet)," Baalu told reporters.

DMK supremo and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, in a post-midnight statement, said it was agreed that the Congress will be given 60 seats. He also said the Congress's demand for the constituencies of its choice was also "highly unfair and improper." The Congress is said to be insisting for 63 seats. The strength of the Tamil Nadu Assembly is 234.

Baalu made it clear that the withdrawal of support stemmed only from problems over "seat-sharing" and had nothing to do with the 2G Spectrum scam in which senior DMK leader and former telecom minister A Raja is allegedly involved.

He also said that the decision taken at the meeting of the party's high powered committee has also been communicated to Congress President Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel and Defence Minister A K Antony.

Asked whether it was the end of the road for the seven-year-old DMK-Congress alliance, Baalu replied in the negative.

"We are all friends. We do not see the end of the road. Though we have withdrawn ministers our friendship will continue forever." he said.