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PMK breaks ranks with Jaya, denies need for President's rule in Tamil Nadu

The Pattali Makkal Katchi, a constituent of the coalition government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre, today asserted that there is now no ground for imposing President's rule in Tamil Nadu.

PMK founder S Ramadoss said in Madras that the people of Tamil Nadu had voted overwhelmingly for the ouster of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government by electing candidates of the alliance led by the All-India Anna DMK in the last Lok Sabha election. But the situation in the state now does not warrant imposition of President's rule, he said.

This is at sharp variance with the AIADMK, also a partner in the ruling coalition, which has been demanding dismissal of the state government, claiming that the law-and-order situation is worsening.

The PMK has thus taken an independent line while maintaining friendly ties with the AIADMK despite the AIADMK-led front having been disbanded.

AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha has said the law-and-order situation in Tamil Nadu is 10 times worse than in Bihar, where President's rule has been imposed. She wants Article 356 used in Tamil Nadu as well.

Although the PMK differs with the AIADMK on this issue, Ramadoss said he would attend the forthcoming AIADMK meeting in Coimbatore as a friendly party leader.

The AIADMK, however, has reason to be cheerful since Ramadoss no longer demands that the petroleum portfolio, now held by Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress president Vazhapadi K Ramamurthy, should not be given to an AIADMK member as demanded by Jayalalitha.

Ramadoss had earlier threatened to withdraw his party's nominee in the Union Cabinet, Dalit Ezhilmalai, if Ramamurthy's portfolio was changed.

Asked about his changed stance, Ramadoss said it is the prime minister's prerogative to allocate portfolios.

He expressed unhappiness with the failure of the Union Budget to make allocations for the Sethusamudram project, as announced earlier by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Budget has only provided for a feasibility study.

Ramadoss said he would meet Vajpayee and Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and urge them to provide funds for the project.

Ramadoss called for mediation by a third country, like South Africa, to resolve the ethnic dispute in Sri Lanka. South African President Nelson Mandela, who had himself led a freedom struggle, is ideally suited to mediate in the Eelam dispute, he said.

Asked whether bringing in third countries would not be against the Indian interest in the region, Ramadoss said third-party mediation is necessary since India is not taking any initiative to resolve the dispute.

UNI

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