DMK-PMK: peace at last?

Chennai, Nov 1 (UNI) As the bitter war of words between the DMK and its ally Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) over cross-voting in the just concluded local body poll threatened to take an ugly turn, the two parties have shown signs of burying the hatchet and moving forward.

PMK President G K Mani called for a truce last night. While stating his party was fully justified in airing its views in public on the 'betrayal' by the DMK, he exhorted partymen to put the unsavoury episode behind and renew constructive work.

The DMK too showed signs of willingness to reconcile with a senior leader stating that the party was not for any confrontion and initiated action against DMK men who had violated party discipline.

It all began when after sweeping the civic poll, the DMK, heading the Democratic Progressive Alliance, could not rest on its laurels as all its allies - left, Congress and PMK accused it of violating 'coalition dharma' in the indirect elections to local body heads.

They charged that DMK men had entered the fray in posts earmarked for allies or resorted to cross voting and defeated candidates of alliance parties. After sorting out its problems with the CPI(M), the DMK began to relax but the PMK went on the attack.

It was more vociferous as its founder leader Dr S Ramadoss, accusing the DMK chief of betraying his party, declared that the ruling DMK, which was 22 short of a simple majority in the 234-member house, could no longer take the PMK's support for granted.

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