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PMK not in favour of withdrawing support to Vajpayee

In a significant development, Pattali Makkal Katchi founder leader Dr S Ramadoss says his party is opposed to withdrawing support to the Vajpayee government and had conveyed this view to All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader J Jayalalitha. The PMK is a member of the AIADMK-led alliance and has three MPs in the Lok Sabha. Its general secretary Dalit Ezhimalai is the Union minister of state for health.

Dr Ramadoss said Marumalachi DMK general secretary Vaiko, another of Jayalalitha's allies, had conveyed a similar view at Thursday's meeting in Madras.

The PMK leader said he believed that Jayalalitha, who has been authorised by her allies to take an appropriate decision at an appropriate time, would not withdraw support to Vajpayee. He hoped she would not ignore the views of her allies.

As far as his party was concerned, its support to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government would continue, he said, adding that there was no threat to its continuance in power. The BJP government depends on the 27-member AIADMK-led front for its survival.

"Who will desire the fall of the Vajpayee government at this juncture?" he asked.

Asked about Janata Party president Dr Subramanian Swamy's demand that the AIADMK-led front withdraw support to the Vajpayee government, Dr Ramadoss said this was Dr Swamy's individual opinion and did not reflect the front's view.

Alleging that the Congress was conspiring to topple the BJP-led government and put the blame on Jayalalitha for forcing a mid-term poll, he said the AIADMK leader was aware of the gameplan and would not fall into the trap.

UNI

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