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DMK asserts it won't be threatened by Article 356

Senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader and former Union minister Murasoli Maran has virutally challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government to dismiss the DMK government in Tamil Nadu using Article 356 of the Constitution.

In his address at the DMK conference to mark the party's golden jubilee in Tirunelveli, he said the DMK was least afraid as it was not easy to invoke the provision.

He said even if the President and judiciary approved the imposition of Article 356, the dismissal had to be supported by the two houses of Parliament which was "impossible" now.

Maran added that AIADMK leader J Jayalalitha wanted the DMK government to be dismissed so that she could "extricate" herself from a number of corruption cases.

He claimed that but for the DMK opposition, the Kalyan Singh government in Uttar Pradesh would have been dismissed. Maran stated he had waged a lone battle when the issue came up before the Cabinet during the United Front regime.

As directed by party chief and TN Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, the DMK had opposed the move, not out of love for the BJP but due to the conviction that all elected governments should be allowed to complete their full term.

"I was profusely thanked by the BJP leaders including A B Vajpayee for saving the government in Uttar Pradesh, but at the same time incurred the wrath of Mulayam Singh Yadav," he added.

Stating that no party could win power at the Centre without the support of regional allies, he took exception to the claim by the Congress, the BJP and the Left parties that they were national parties. "In a way, these parties are also regional parties as they are strong only in certain pockets," continued Maran.

Disagreeing with the Left parties decision to offer outside support to the Congress if it were to form an alternative government in the event of the fall of the BJP government, Karunanidhi said that it did not affect the party's relation with the state units of the CPI and the CPI-. These parties would form part of the DMK-led front during the next elections.

Maran, also the DMK parliamentary party group leader, was more explicit on the question of the party's support to the BJP. "The party will never replace the AIADMK if the latter withdraws support to the BJP," he said. The DMK favoured the formation of a third front minus the Congress and the BJP.

Party deputy general secretary Nanjil K Manoharan also clarified that the DMK would distance itself from the BJP as long as it pursued the policies of "Hindi, Hindu and Hindutva."

Claiming that the BJP was trying to bring in a presidential form of government, he said the DMK would oppose the move as it was unsuitable for the multi-lingual and multi-religious country.

UNI

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