March 6: The exit of DMK ministers from the Union government appeared certain on Sunday night with the Congress making it clear that it would not try to persuade them to desist. This is being perceived as the first step in the party’s departure from the UPA.
The DMK has, however, maintained that even after its ministers resigned it would extend issue-based support to the Manmohan Singh government. The Congress was tight-lipped on whether it would ally with Ms Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK in next month’s Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The party’s crisis managers might be waiting to see if the DMK would actually take such an extreme step at a time when the corruption issue has reached its first family, forcing it to contest the crucial electoral battle ahead almost singlehandedly.
The DMDK, MDMK and the Left parties are now with the AIADMK-led front. But if the Congress too joins hands with Ms Jayalalithaa, then the Congress, AIADMK and DMDK could constitute a formidable force ranged against Mr Karunanidhi, sources said, even if the Left and some others walk out.