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Karunanidhi declines to comment on DMK-TMC ties

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today parried all questions on the future of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-Tamil Maanila Congress alliance.

Asked about his reaction to TMC leader and Rajya Sabha member Peter Alphonse's statement that the possibility of a secular government at the Centre with the DMK supporting it from outside should be explored, Karunanidhi refused to comment.

Asked whether he thought the TMC was moving away from the United Front on the DMK issue, Karunanidhi said TMC president G K Moopanar had participated in all the UF core committee meetings which backed the DMK.

"Moopanar had never said anything against the DMK," he added.

Karunanidhi declined to comment when asked why the TMC had not backed the DMK on the Jain Commission interim report issue, unlike other UF constituents like the Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Janata Dal.

Asked why Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral had not recommended dissolution of the Lok Sabha while submitting his resignation, Karunanidhi said he had left the decision to President K R Narayanan.

Karunanidhi said Alphonse's remark, made during a television interview, might reflect his personal opinion. He recalled that Alphonse stated at a public meeting two months ago that the DMK should continue to rule Tamil Nadu for the next 100 years.

Asked if he saw any crack in the United Front, the chief minister quipped amidst laughter, ''There are no cracks either in the United Front or here. I only see people with a lot of brains.''

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
Tamil Nadu speaker to move court against Jain report
DMK may dump TMC, plumb for PMK
Maran borrows from Jain report to bounce Congress charges

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