TN CM meets PM, Sonia, Karat, Pawar; Discusses Prez poll

New Delhi, May 28 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi and is understood to have discussed the Presidential election.

Mr Karunanidhi first called on Ms Gandhi at noon and Dr Singh in the evening.

''I will come (to Delhi) again next week,'' was all that Mr Karunanidhi told reporters after the brief 15-minute meeting held at Ms Gandhi's residence at 10 Janpath.

The problems of Tamil Nadu, including Cauvery and Mullaperiyar, also figured at the meeting with the Prime Minister which lasted about 20 minutes, DMK sources said.

Earlier, on his arrival at the airport, the DMK chief said his two-day visit to the Capital was primarily to discuss the Presidential polls with the political leadership here and attend the National Development Council (NDC) meeting to be held tomorrow.

CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat and Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar separately called on Mr Karunanidhi at Tamil Nadu House, shortly after his arrival here.

Both Mr Pawar and Mr Karat said they discussed issues relating to the Presidential election with the Tamil Nadu leader. President A P J Abdul Kalam's tenure at Rashtrapati Bhavan ends on July 25.

While Mr Pawar said he did not want to share the details of the meeting with the media, Mr Karat said he conveyed his party's views on the Presidential polls to Mr Karunanidhi.

Later in the afternoon, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh called on the DMK chief.

Mr Singh said he discussed with the CM various issues, including the OBC quota, reservation for Muslims and deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and classical language Tamil.

Fielding questions, the HRD Minister said he was not in the race for the Presidential poll. On OBC quota, he said it was for the Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court to expedite the hearing.

CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan would call on Mr Karunanidhi later in the evening.

UNI