DMK to fight for ceasefire in Lanka: Karunanidhi

Coimbatore, Nov 16: M Karunanidhi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on Sunday, Nov 16 said his party would not be satisfied with the efforts being taken on the Lankan Tamils issue until the Rajapaksa government declares a ceasefire. He said, "DMK's efforts would continue to achieve ceasefire in the ongoing war being raged by the Lankan Army."

CM said the party MPs in Delhi had been meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh almost everyday to press the demand of working for a ceasfire. When asked about Congress President Sonia Gandhi on this issue, he said, ''We are not approaching this issue partywise but through the government. We have to approach only the Prime Minister''.

To a question about an earlier resolution that the Sri Lankan president Rajapaksa's statement should not be given credence, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister alleged that the Lankan President's statement contradicts his actions. He charged that Rajapakse says that the ongoing war was to eradicate terrorism in his country and not to kill Tamils living there. But in reality Tamil people were being killed in the war.

Asked about Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder-leader Dr Ramadoss's statement that the Centre could take the issue to UN Security Council, Mr Karunanidhi said he had not seen the statement and after reaching Chennai he would seek others' opinion on this.

To a question about Hindu religious leaders involvement in bomb blasts, he said his party was always against for communal forces, who were involving in acts against national integrity and anti-humanism.

Answering a question on former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and MDMK General Secretary Vaiko's demand for his immediate resignation on the clash in Law College, Mr Karunanidhi quipped, only for his resignation Ms Jayalalithaa and Vaiko had instigated the students to clash. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said had the police interfered immediately, the media would have written that police had harassed the students in the college.

When asked whether his government would reconsider the people's demand of removing Udumalpet Taluk from the newly created Tirupur district, Mr Karunanidhi said this issue would lead to the problem of sharing water like Cauvery issue in future.

He would not reconsider this and Udumalpet would remain with Tirupur district only.

Asked if the inter-state water sharing issue affected Tamil Nadu, he said the water sharing issue has cropped up among the districts also now.

To another question whether the PMK would ally with DMK in the forthcoming elections, Mr Karunanidhi said ''In politics any thing can happen.'' Asked if there would be changes reshuffle of portfolios in his Cabinet, he shot back ''It would be announced through news papers.''

UNI