Karunanidhi rejects reports saying 'DMK bargains for VP Post'

Chennai, May 29 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi today categorically ruled out that the party was bargaining for vice-president's Post, in the run up to the coming Presidential election.

''We have not made any such demand. There is no basis for such reports made by a section of media,'' he said while talking to mediapersons here on his arrival from New Delhi.

As far as the Presidential candidate was concerned, the DMK Chief, who held detailed discussions with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and left party leaders during his two-day stay in the capital, said some names had cropped during the discussion and it required some more time to finalise the candidate.

Answering a query, he said it was not prudent to reveal the names at this stage. He declined to comment when asked whether Union Minister Arjun Singh's name figured in the discussion.

Mr Karunanidhi said he had conveyed to the Congress leadership, the views expressed by the left parties on the Presidential candidate and would again visit Delhi during the first week of June to continue the discussion with the Congress and left party leaders.

On President A P J Abdul Kalam's two-party rule suggestion, the DMK leader said, in a democracy it would not be possible to prevent a third or fourth party coming into the picture.

Mr Karunanidhi said he held detailed discussion with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the Chennai airport expansion project and establishment of a new greenfield airport and requested him to support the projects.

He said as decided in the backward class conference, he had requested the Prime Minister to constitute the Parliamentary committee for backward classes to protect their interests.

The Chief Minister said he had also discussed in detail the problems faced by the fishermen in the state.

As a follow up, the Prime Minister deputed his security advisor M K Narayanan, who held detailed discussion with him on the issue this morning. Mr Narayanan would arrive here on May 31 to continue the discussion, he said.

While discussing about the Cauvery, Mullaiperiyar and Palar river issues, he said he brought it to the Prime Minister's notice as how some states were refusing to honour the Supreme Court's order on inter state water disputes and prevailed upon him to put an end to this trend.

Mr Karunanidhi said he had also discussed with the Prime Minister about the linking of rivers to resolve the inter state water disputes.

UNI