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BJP predicts changes in TN political alliances

The Bharatiya Janata Party today ruled out any alliance with the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu, but predicted political changes at the national and state level.

Addressing a press conference in Madras, vice-president K Jana Krishnamurthy said his party's alliance with the All-India Anna DMK in the state continues and relations between the two parties have improved.

He said there are indications that the Congress and the DMK are coming closer in the state.

The participation of Chief Minister and DMK president Muthuvel Karunanidhi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi at a function at Vaikom in Kerala next month appears to be a prelude to this, he said.

Krishnamurthy said the DMK and the Tamil Maanila Congress, which are allies, are confused about their respective strategies.

The TMC wants to bring 'Kamaraj rule' back in Tamil Nadu under party chief G K Moopanar. This means it is opposed to the DMK retaining power after the next election, he observed. The two parties are sticking together only for the time being, he said.

Asked about AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha's appeal to the Centre to deploy the army to guard Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during his visit to Tiruchirapalli to attend a BJP conference on March 21, Krishnamurthy said the chief minister should take note of her concern.

He said the BJP's tie-up with the Lok Shakti in Karnataka would continue even in the assembly election due in November.

Asked about the Lok Shakti's stand that the alliance would continue only if the BJP agrees to project Union Commerce Minister Ramakrishna Hegde as the chief ministerial candidate, he said that as far he knew, Hegde is interested only in national politics.

An alliance would be struck in Andhra Pradesh depending on the situation there, he said.

Even in the worst scenario of the BJP losing the assembly elections in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, the Vajpayee government would still survive, he asserted.

Asked if Jayalalitha would attend the BJP state conference at Tiruchirapalli, Krishnamurthy said the AIADMK leader would send her best wishes.

UNI

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