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AIADMK-MDMK parting of ways seems final

The Marumalarchi DMK headed by V Gopalswamy, MP, which is part of the All India Anna DMK--led alliance in Tamil Nadu, seems to be virtually out of the front.

This was evident from the AIADMK and MDMK separately submitting memoranda to Prime Minister A B Vajpayee on issues of public importance, including the vexed Cauvery dispute.

While leaders of the AIADMK, Pattali Makkal Katchi, Janata Party and Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress met Vajpayee and submitted a Memorandum on Thursday, the MDMK representatives were accompanied by BJP members of Parliament from the state.

That AIADMK supremo J Jayalalitha no longer considers the MDMK as an ally became evident from these meetings.

Though Vaiko had been maintaining that his party was still in the AIADMK-led front, Jayalalitha had stopped inviting him to meetings of alliance parties in the recent past.

The relationship between the AIADMK and the MDMK soured over their stand on the use of Article 356 to dismiss elected state governments.

While Jayalalitha has been clamouring for the dismissal of the Karunanidhi government in the state by invoking the article, and the other allies in her front are supporting her, Vaiko has openly stated that his party is opposed to use of the Article in Tamil Nadu.

There is speculation in the media that Vaiko is moving closer to the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the state, from which he broke away before the 1996 general election to form the MDMK.

Meanwhile, the AIADMK and its allies in Tamil Nadu appear to have dropped their main demand of dismissal of the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, at least for the time being, judging by the contents of the memorandum submitted to the prime minister yesterday.

Jayalalitha had used every opportunity in the past four months to highlight the need for dismissing the Karunanidhi government, terming it as anti-national, threatening the very survival of the Vajpayee government at the Centre.

Surprisingly, the 12-page memorandum signed by her and her allies and party MPs was silent on the issue of dismissal. Instead, it highlighted issues of public importance such as the Cauvery water dispute, reservation for backward classes and giving official language status to all 19 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
Vaiko denies rift between AIADMK and allies

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