DMK raking up dead issue: PMK

Chennai, June 16 (UNI) As the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) set the stage to review its ties with its ally the PMK, party founder-leader S Ramadoss today accused the DMK of trying to rake up a ''dead issue'' and politicise the same.

The DMK convened its high-level action committee to meet here tomorrow evening to decide the question of continuing its ties with the PMK, after PMK Treasurer Guru had made an inflammatory speech and issued murder threats against the DMK leaders.

Reacting to this development, Dr Ramadoss, in a statement here, said the issue being raised by the DMK was a dead one and wondered why the party was trying to politicise the same now.

He said Mr Guru had made the ''controversial'' speech in January in a public meeting and after the matter went to the notice of DMK President and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, he (Dr Ramadoss) wrote to the Chief Minister in March, explaining the background and how cases were being foisted against PMK leaders in Perambalur district.

In his reply on March 11, Mr Karunanidhi had said he would enquire into the problems between the DMK and the PMK leaders in the district and try to work for a rapprochement between the two.

Mr Karunanidhi had also reposed faith in him and expressed satisfaction over his remarks that he himself did not like Guru's speech, Dr Ramadoss said.

He said party President G K Mani had also taken up the matter with Mr Karunanidhi and had initiated talks with him to withdraw the cases foised against Mr Guru.

When Mr Mani suggested that he could bring Mr Guru to meet him, the Chief Minister happily agreed to it and when he was making moves to take Mr Guru to the Chief Minister and withdraw the cases, the issue had been raked up now, Dr Ramadoss said.

Where was the need to hand over the cassette, containing the speech of Mr Guru, to Mr Karunanidhi now when the issue was already discussed, after which the Chief Minister had put an end to it, the PMK leader asked.

He said he failed to understand as to why the Chief Minister, who had faith in him in March, lost the faith now.

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