DMK hedges options on Cabinet berths
Jolted by the spectrum shocks that saw two party seniors lose jobs in the Union Cabinet, the DMK reportedly turned down the offer of berths as replacements for the resignation of Dayanidhi Maran and earlier of A. Raja when their names figured in the 2G scam.
DMK sources said party chief M Karunanidhi conveyed this to Congress senior Pranab Mukherjee who met him at his residence here Saturday morning with the offer of berths from United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
“Thalaivar told Pranab that the party would take a decision on this offer at our general council meeting (July 23-24) in Coimbatore”, a former DMK minister told DC, pointing out that Mr Karunanidhi remained crestfallen over the spectrum case incarceration of daughter Kanimozhi.
Besides, the majority view in the DMK is that the party should not seem to be in a hurry to grab the offer of berths at this juncture.
That Mr M. K. Stalin, the second-in-command, stayed away from the Pranab meet was a reflection of sulking DMK.
On the other hand, Mr Dayanidhi Maran made sure he was prominent in the photo frames alongside Karunanidhi and the Congress guest, perhaps to send out the message that the DMK is backing him in his hour of crisis.
Emerging from the meeting, Mr Mukherjee told reporters that the Congress-DMK alliance would continue and be even strengthened.
He however parried a specific question whether the issue of DMK filling up its ‘vacancies’ in the Cabinet was discussed with Mr Karunanidhi.
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