FOR 10 days from June 13, Tamil Nadu was in the political news in a significant way for two reasons. First, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) dismissed its ally Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) from the Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) in the State. Second, leaders of two Left parties met DMK president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to seek his intervention to break the logjam over the nuclear deal.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat and Communist Party of India (CPI) national secretary D. Raja met Karunanidhi in Chennai on June 22, giving rise to expectations that he would be able to come up with a formula to resolve the stand-off between the Congress and the Left parties.
Instead, Karunanidhi informed the Left leaders that the DMK supported the nuclear agreement. Karat and Raja in turn asserted that the Left parties would withdraw support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government if it took the India-specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency to the IAEA Board of Governors.
During the discussions, Karunanidhi underlined three points: One, while the DMK supported the nuclear agreement it was not in favour of early elections to the Lok Sabha; two, the Left parties should not unsettle the UPA government, which would force early elections; and, three, the Congress and the Left parties should stay together for the coming polls. If they parted ways, the Chief Minister said, it would not only hurt the DMK but bolster the chances of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party to come to power at the Centre.
It was not without significance that Karunanidhis daughter and DMK Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi was present when Raja and Karat called on the Chief Minister.
It may be recalled that in her maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha on December 5, 2007, she supported the nuclear agreement. Kanimozhi quoted U.S. Under Secretary Nicholas Burns as having said that the United States is not going to suggest a similar deal with any other country in the world. India is an exception.
On June 20, the Congress received support from another quarter the PMK. The PMKs extraordinary general body, which met that day to discuss the partys expulsion from the DPA, pledged its firm support to the nuclear deal.
The PMK wanted the mediation efforts with the Left parties to succeed, a resolution said.
The PMKs stand was not surprising because it continues to be a constituent of the Congress-led UPA government with two representatives in the Union Ministry Health Minister Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, who is the son of Dr. S. Ramadoss, PMK founder, and R. Velu, Minister of State for Railways. Karunanidhi did not seek their expulsion from the Ministry.
The DMK, the Congress and the PMK contested as allies in the elections to the Lok Sabha in May 2004 and to the Tamil Nadu Assembly in May 2006, with the CPI(M) and the CPI extending support. The souring of the DMKs relations with the PMK started within two months of government formation when the DMK failed to support Anbumani in his stand-off with Dr. P. Venugopal, Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Since then, the PMK has consistently taken on the DMK government on several issues. This triggered feuds between Ramadoss on the one side and Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veerasamy, Higher Education Minister Ponmudi and Agriculture Minister Veerapandi S. Arumugam on the other. The tension reached a high point over Karunanidhis refusal to offer a Rajya Sabha seat to the PMK in 2007.
The PMKs bitterness became more open than ever before when Ramadoss said he would give only fail marks to the State government on its performance when it celebrated its completion of two years in office in May. This remark hurt the Chief Minister. Besides, Ramadoss alleged that PMK leaders phones were being wire-tapped.
Informed sources said that while the party leadership decided several months ago to expel the PMK from the DPA, it struck suddenly to reduce the PMKs bargaining power if it were to approach the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
The DMKs high-level policy implementation committee, which met on June 17, used a speech by firebrand PMK leader and president of the Vanniyar Sangam, J. Guru, to declare that it will not be possible any more to retain the PMK in the alliance.
Guru, a former PMK legislator, allegedly threatened murder and mayhem against DMK Ministers and a legislator in his speech on January 6 at the PMKs Perambalur district general body meeting.
Guru had targeted Veerasamy and Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology A. Raja, who hailed from Perambalur district.
At a wedding on June 13, Veerasamy dramatically produced a compact disc containing Gurus speech and demanded that the DMK review its ties with the PMK. Karunanidhi, who presided over the wedding, alleged that the CDs contents were dangerous and that a conspiracy had been hatched for murder.
The DMKs high-level policy implementation committee, which met on June 17, passed a resolution snapping the partys ties with the PMK. Although the decision shocked the PMK, its reaction was cool. Its leaders asserted that the expulsion was in fact a loss for the DMK.
What puzzled them was why the DMK seized a speech made by Guru six months ago and revived an issue that was settled with Karunanidhi in March to expel the PMK.
Ramadoss said, It had been planned to take Guru to meet Karunanidhi after the false cases were withdrawn. In this situation, we do not understand why the issue, which was closed in March, has been raised now as if it is a new issue and is being politicised. An impression is being created that the CD became available only now.
He alleged that the DMK took unilateral decisions on important issues without consulting its allies. No coordination committee was in place in the DPA and there was no common minimum programme, he said.
If the DMK government wants its allies to support all its decisions, why should the allies run their parties at all? We acted as a responsible opposition, said Ramadoss. Reliable sources said Ramadoss only made a tactical move when he swore the partys support to Sonia Gandhi and loyalty to the UPA.
The PMK, the sources said, had initiated moves to join the AIADMK, which it deserted in 2004. But the AIADMK, too, is in an unenviable state. It has only one ally the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam led by Vaiko.
T.S. SubramanianCOMMents
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