PMK will remain in NDA: Ramadoss

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MAY 1. In a turnaround after his recent fulminations against the DMK in Delhi, the PMK founder, Dr. S. Ramadoss, today played down his threat that his party would face the next year Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu as part of some other alliance.

His Delhi observation had to be seen in the context of a mediaman's query on what the PMK would do if it was forced out of the DMK-led National Democratic Alliance in Tamil Nadu, Dr.Ramadoss said. Asking the media not to read too much into what he had said in Delhi, the PMK founder said his party remained very much with the State level NDA and would continue remain with it for the next year Assembly elections also. He denied that the PMK had struck a deal with the AIADMK leader, Ms.Jayalalitha.

He laughed off a question whether the remark of the DMK President and Chief Minister, Mr.M.Karunanidhi, that his party had never sent out a partner from any alliance, meant that the PMK was welcome to go out of the NDA. ``It will not be proper to answer this question'', he said. Nor was he willing to say anything against Mr. Karunanidhi while facing a pointed question whether he suspected the role of Mr.M.Karunanidhi behind the `continuing warfare' between him and the TRC President, Mr. K. Ramamurthi.

``You better ask Mr.Karunanidhi about this'', he said when a scribe referred to the TRC President's `intensified attack' on him (Dr.Ramadoss) everytime the former called on the Chief Minister. He was very confident that Mr.Karunanidhi would intervene and help sort out the differences between the PMK and TRC.

The PMK had already ruled out the prospects of power sharing in the State, he said responding to a question

whether his recent outbursts against Mr.Karunanidhi had anything to do with the latter's firm stand against formation of any coalition ministry in Tamil Nadu.

The question did not arise now, the PMK founder said when asked whether he was confident of securing seats for the next year's Assembly elections consistent with the PMK's status in the coalition Government at the Centre.

On the killing of three fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy in the Vedaranyam waters, Dr.Ramadoss said such attacks continued to occur despite protests by the Central and State Governments. He felt the only solution to the problem was that our Navy should hit back the attackers or commandeer the attacking vessels.

The LTTE should be happy over that, he said referring to reports that the Sri Lankan Government was trying to procure arms from various countries to contain the Tigers who were not getting arms from anywhere but only seizing them from the Sri Lankan Army.

On the reported appeals by the Island Government to India for military assistance to resist the LTTE's advance into Jaffna, Dr.Ramadoss said ``I hope our Government will not repeat the blunder committed by the erstwhile Congress(I) Government which sent the IPKF''.

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Section  : Regional
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