Karuna endorses Left criteria on Prez candidate

New Delhi, May 28: Left parties' broad parameters on the Presidential candidate were endorsed whole-heartedly by DMK Chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today.

"I am agreeable to the broad criteria set up by the Left," Mr Karunanidhi told mediapersons following his meeting with CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat here.

Sources said the DMK chief has preference for Union Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, but he is not likely to insist on his name as indicated by him.

In response to a specific query whether he would oppose a presidential candidate belonging to the upper castes, Mr Karunanidhi said," You know Mr V V Giri got elected in 1969 with our support only." On his meeting with the DMK chief, who arrived here this morning to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chief Sonia Gandhi, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan and others, Mr Karat told UNI Mr Karunanidhi did not raise any demand for the office of the Vice-President during his talks with him.

Mr Karat said he had conveyed to Mr Karunanidhi the Left's viewpoint on the issue and their broad parameters.

Earlier on the conclusion of the CPI(M) two-day Polit Bureau meet here on Saturday, Mr Karat had expressed similar views.

Mr Karat's views were endorsed by his counterpart in the CPI Mr A B Bardhan who exchanged views on the current political situation and other related issues with him this evening at the Ajoy Bhawan, the CPI headquarters.

They had about an hour long bilateral discussion on the three-year performance of the UPA government, its economic policies and programmes and the" futility" of the UPA- Left Coordination mechanism.

They also expressed their unhappiness with the government's" half hearted and insincere" approach to provide social security to over 370 million workers in the unorganised sector.

Mr Bardhan also told UNI that the Left parties did not have any knowledge of Mr Karunanidhi's reported demand for the office of the Vice-President for his party.

UNI