UN vote: 3 top ministers confer with DMK boss
DMK supremo M. Karunanidhi told a delegation of three top Union ministers who met him here Monday over the Sri Lankan issue that his party had no option but to leave the UPA if India didn’t come out in clear support of the US resolution against Colombo and strengthen it further with pro-Tamil amendments.
After a 150-minute meeting, Mr Karunanidhi told finance minister P. Chidambaram, defence minister A.K. Antony and health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad that efforts should be made to strengthen the US resolution, else the DMK would leave the government. The three ministers promised to convey his message to the UPA’s top leadership.
DMK sources said party treasurer M.K. Stalin had told his father, Mr Karunanidhi, that he wouldn’t hesitate to quit politics altogether if the DMK chose to stay in the government at the cost of Sri Lankan Tamil interests. “Thalaivar (Karunanidhi) conceded to Thalapathi’s (Stalin) pressure,” a source said.
Mr Azad told reporters the delegation would report to the PM about their discussions here. Mr Karunanidhi said the Congress leaders responded positively to the DMK’s demand that Parliament pass a resolution to strengthen the US resolution. In Delhi, Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi, downplaying the DMK’s threat, said: “If there are any differences with the DMK, we are confident of resolving it.”
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