DMK indicates no change in alliance with Cong

The DMK on Friday rebuffed Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal’s latest attempt to blame his predecessor A Raja for the 2G fiasco, even as it kept its options open on the alliance issue for next Lok Sabha polls.

“I strongly deny if Kapil Sibal had said so,”  Karunanidhi said.

Karunanidhi asserted that on the contrary, that it was Kapil Sibal who had maintained from the beginning that  the policy to allot the licences on a ‘first-cum-first-served-basis’ was implemented by the earlier BJP government.

It was not immediately clear whether DMK was still defending Raja’s role in allocating ‘2G’ licenses, but clearly the DMK patriarch was not happy over part of  Sibal’s inferences from apex court’s verdict.

The DMK patriach however hinted that his party was keeping its options open on the alliance issue for the next Lok Sabha elections.

Some members at the DMK General Council did pop up the issue and asked whether DMK should continue with its political ties with the Congress, after the Centre, led by the Congess, had “failed” on several issues crucial to Tamil Nadu like the attack on our fishermen by Lankan Navy.

Nonetheless, Karunanidhi clarified to them that DMK could ally only with a “progressive, secular party with pro-poor, pro-labour stance.”

As there was “still a long way to go” for the next LS polls, the party’s Political Affairs Committee will meet at the appropriate time to decide on this issue, he said, adding that the DMK will consider an alliance mooted by any ‘secular party.’