Congress rakes up coalition government issue in Assembly

By Staff
|
Google Oneindia News

Chennai, Jan 23 (UNI) Members of the Congress, an ally of the ruling DMK, today raised the issue of coalition government in the Assembly here.

Participating in a debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address, Congress legislators expressed their wish to take part in the coalition government in the state.

Raising the issue first, Mr C Gnanasekaran said coalition politics had been successfully implemented at the Centre and also in states like Maharashtra and Kerala.

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi should take steps to introduce a coalition government in Tamil Nadu, he added.

Echoing the view, another Congress member M Rajasekaran said the coalition government at the Centre was able to take clear-cut policies and manage the country's economy in an exemplary manner.

If such a chance was given in Tamil Nadu, it would not only satisfy the Congress but would also counter the opposition AIADMK's campaign that the DMK was heading a minority government in the state, he said.

Another Congress MLA member, K Vishnuprasad, compared a coalition government to a joint family and said though the Congress enjoyed the ''feast'' presented by the DMK Government, it had a taste of its own.

''We too have our own taste and expectations,'' he added.

The DMK, heading the Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) in the state, has 96 MLAs, 22 short of simple majority in the 234-member House.

It has formed government with outside support of its allies -- the Congress 34, PMK 18, CPI(M) nine, CPI six and Dalit Panthers of India two.

While other allies had not evinced interest in joining a coalition government, the Congress legislators had been demanding a share in the power. However, the DMK, which is part of the UPA government at the Centre, had not chosen to concede the demand so far.

UNI

For Daily Alerts
Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
X