Vaiko reiterates desire to continue in UPA

Chennai, Mar 11 (UNI) Marumalarchi DMK (MDMK) General Secretary Vaiko today reiterated that the MDMK desired to continue in the Congress led UPA at the Centre and it was for the UPA leadership to take a final decision on this issue.

Talking to newspersons after chairing the party's General Council here, Mr Vaiko said, the DMK had stated that it would not allow the MDMK in the UPA, but the MDMK continued in the UPA even after it quit the DMK led DPA in the state and forged an alliance with the AIADMK.

Stating that the MDMK was not part of the ministry, but only a constituent of UPA, he said whenever there were differences with the centre, the party, like the Left parties had opposed the Centre, but continued to be a pact of the UPA regime.

Now that the DMK had opposed the MDMK's continuance, Mr Vaiko said, he was not sure what was in store for the party in future, though there were conflicting reports with AICC Genereal Secretary Veerappan Moily expressing one view and Congress spokesperson Priyaranjan Das Mushi another.

He said the General Council, in a resolution, authorised him to take a decision on this issue, in the event of UPA leadership giving any Judgement.

Explaining the circumstances which led the party to enter into an alliance with the AIADMK, Mr Vaiko said the General Council hailed the decision and congratulated him for his strategy.

Describing MDMK's tie up with the AIADMK as ''political diplomacy,'' Mr Vaiko said it was neither a ''sudden nor thrusted,'' but had been on the cards for the past two -and -a- half months. More than 90 per cent of the party cadres wished an alliance with the AIADMK and he had taken the decision only in deference to their wishes.

Asserting that the AIADMK would come back in power with absolute majority, Mr Vaiko made it clear that under no circumstances, the MDMK would take part in the ministry, either in Tamil Nadu or in Pondicherry.

Mr Vaiko said he conveyed it both to Mr Karunanidhi and DMK senior leader Arcot N Veerasamy that he would be able to convince the party cadres to remain in the DMK led alliance only if the party was given atleast 25 seats. ''But Mr Karunanidhi, in his Tiruchirapalli press conference on March three, had declared that he would not give more than 22 seats and the MDMK could either ''take it or leave it'', forcing the party MDMK to quit the allaince, he said.

'' There was also a strong feeling among partymen as why they should work for the DMK to help it to achieve the hidden agenda,'' he said but refused to divulge the ''hidden agenda'', stating that the people were aware of it.

Mr Vaiko said the ground level reality was in favour of Ms Jayalalithaa and in the absence of any anti-incumbancy factor, the AIADMK led front would sweep the polls.

After the party identifies the 35 seats in discussion with the AIADMK, it would begin the exercise of selecting candidates, he said adding the party's Parliamentary Board would decide whether he should contest in this election.

UNI