5 March 2011 04:10 pm
"Taking into consideration the situation, the DMK decided to quit the government and would offer issue-based support," a resolution adopted in the high-level committee of the party said.
In a statement, party president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said though the DMK has been adhering to the principles of unity and integrity of the nation and forming alliance based on these principles in the last seven years, it was surprised that the Congress was responsible for creating new problems for the Assembly elections.
Mr. Karunanidhi said despite his ill health he visited Delhi and met AICC president Sonia Gandhi and decided to hold talks first with the Congress party. "Since there was a delay in the arrival of the Congress team, we started negotiations with the PMK and other parties. The Congress team arrived only on February 20," the resolution said.
He said while no decision was taken in the discussion with the Congress team, it was decided to allocate 57 seats to the Congress after AICC general secretary Guhlam Nabi Azad held talks with him in Chennai. "But he wanted to consult the party high-command. Then he called to say that Congress needed 60 seats. We agreed to the Congress' demand and I asked Mr. Azad to come to Chennai to sign the agreement."
Mr. Karunanidhi said while the DMK was waiting for the Congress leaders to sign the agreement, they called from Delhi to say that they needed 63 seats, that too of their choice.
"Whether it was Lok Sabha polls or Assembly polls, the DMK leadership and I never faced this kind of situation during seat-sharing talks. Since the demand of the Congress was shocking, we decided to hold the high-level committee meeting because neither I nor the general secretary of the party could take a decision on the issue," Mr. Karunanidhi said.
He said the DMK was forced to believe that instead of finding an amicable solution, the Congress was using the demand for seat as an excuse to send the DMK out of the alliance.
Courtesy: The hindu