DMK finds it hard to row as allies rock boat

Chennai, Aug 19: With just a little over one year in office, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi is finding himself increasingly isolated, following constant pinpricks, not only from the Opposition, but also from the DMK's allies, on various issues.

The greatest headache for him is the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), which has been more vociferous in opposing various projects, forcing an angry retort from Mr Karunanidhi that time was nearing to review the relations (on alliance with PMK).

Despite launching a no-holds barred criticism against the government on a host of issues, PMK Founder Dr S Ramadoss, however, said his party's support to the government would continue and there was no going back on that.

Joining the PMK's strident posture, were the Left parties who too were taking potshots at the government, especially on the shelved Titanium di-oxide project by the Tata Group with an investment of Rs 2,500 crore and pattas for poor people living in government poromboke lands.

There had been simmering tension among the cadres of another ally, the Congress. But their views were not coming out in open like that of PMK and the Left, thanks to Mr Karunanidhi's ''direct equation'' with AICC President Sonia Gandhi.

While one section of the faction-ridden Congress wanted the party to play the role of a constructive opposition, those owing allegiance to Union Minister G K Vasan and TNCC President M Krishansamy were maintaining a stoic silence.

However, the absence of alliance party leaders at the Independence Day function and at the customary tea party hosted by the Governor, showed that all was not well within the DPA, headed by the ruling DMK.

Without mincing words, Dr Ramadoss said the alliance was only for the elections and that his party was exercising its democratic right by espousing the people's cause. ''We cannot keep mum if the government decisions went against the welfare of the people,'' he said, adding he was very conscious of what he was talking.

Right from the Satellite township project to airport modernisation, titanium di-oxide plant, capitation fees charged by self-financing colleges and the recent Sholinganallur Housing Board land acquisition and sand mining issues, the PMK had been voicing its concern.

To drive home his point, Dr Ramadoss drew a parallel with the Left parties opposing the Congress-led UPA government's policies at the National level and said there was some sort of mechanism at the Centre, with the Prime Minister and Ms Sonia Gandhi holding talks with them.

There was also a coordination committee to sort out the issues. There was no such mechanism in place in Tamil Nadu, Dr Ramadoss said.

''No one accuses the Left of taking pot shots at the Centre for strengthening its base, as said by Mr Karunanidhi on the alliance partners in the State.

In an interview to a Tamil magazine, Dr Ramadoss said during the DMK rule, violence increased and indiscriminate sand mining was on without any check, for which he had announced an agitation in Tiruvallur district.

He also alleged that the standards of political civility had touched the lowest point and that law and order situation had deteriorated in the state like the Tenkasi murders, killing of a local body functionary at Sivaganga through a remote-controlled device, and the attack on a newspaper at Madurai.

''Is this maintenance of law and order'', he asked and reiterated that his voice cannot be muffled.

Such was the opposition from the alliance parties that at every level Mr Karunandihi was forced to backtrack some decisions. He had to drop the satellite township proposal near Chennai and also the airport modernisation project. And now the latest was the Titanium project, which Mr Karunanidhi said the PMK and the Leftists were unnecessarily taking potshots.

He took objections to the Left opposing the project and said the same Left parties, which were in power in West Bengal, had rolled out a red carpet to the Tatas car project at Singur.

Mr Karunanidhi also said the MoU for Titanium project was signed during the previous AIADMK regime and these parties did not raise their voice at that time.

Political analysts say that the latest warning to the PMK showed that Mr karunanidhi had run out of patience, though they described the latest war of words between the ruling DMK and its allies as ''politics of brinkmanship'', as both the DMK and PMK had vital stakes, since they were part of the UPA government at the Centre and the Left parties supporting it from outside.

So any change of equation might crop up only during the time of next Lok Sabha polls, which are due in two years time.

UNI