Re-think your resignations, Pranab urges DMK

New Delhi: The Congress has asked the DMK to think one last time about its decision to quit the government. The DMK says its chief, M Karunanidhi, will review that offer. But for now, it's over.

As the DMK's ministers arrived in Delhi to submit their resignations to the Prime Minister, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee sent a sort of "Are you really sure?" message. The DMK has six ministers and 18 MPs, allowing it to be an influential member of the coalition government at the Centre.

The DMK's TR Baalu said Mr Mukerjee's message had been passed on to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. "As of now, there is no reconsideration by the DMK," he said. When asked if the split was likely to be reverse engineered, he said, "I am not a fortune teller."

What has turned the allies into foes is the negotiation over what sort of role the Congress will play - first in the Tamil Nadu elections, and then in the government if the DMK comes to power. Currently, the DMK government is supported "from outside" by the Congress - the latter is not part of the government. Elections in Tamil Nadu are scheduled for April 13. The Congress wants 63 seats, as opposed to the 60 that the DMK is prepared to part with. Also, the Congress has shortlisted some constituencies which have to be included in its share. That's not acceptable to the DMK.

So the regional party insists its six ministers will meet the Prime Minister today to formalise the divorce with their resignations.

The split was first announced by the DMK on Saturday which apparently expected the Congress to respond with some serious TLC. The Congress instead chose to keep its distance, possibly emboldened by the fact that the Samajwadi Party has indicated it could replace the DMK in the coalition. On Sunday, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav claimed the UPA government will not fall - with his 22 MPs, that's not an empty promise.

In the 543-seat Lok Sabha, the half-way mark is 272. The Congress has 207 seats. Allies like the DMK push the UPA's tally to 274 - just two more than that critical half-way mark.

The DMK's 18 seats push the government into a minority. But Mulayam's 22 compensate nicely.

Divorce over 2G scam?

While the Congress and the DMK argue publicly over seats, sources say the real cause for the break-up is the DMK's entanglement with the 2G spectrum scam. One of the DMKs main men, A Raja, who was Telecom Minister has been arrested for siring the scam, which saw valuable frequency being given at throwaway prices to private companies. A 214-crore kickback from the scam was allegedly routed to a TV station in Chennai that's owned largely by Mr Karunanidhi's wife, and his daughter Kanimozhi, who is an MP and a close associate of Mr Raja's. The CBI, in charge of investigating the scam, has raided the homes and offices of people closely associated with Kanimozhi, and she is expected to be questioned in the next few weeks by the CBI. The DMK is getting increasingly uncomfortable with the inquiry and what it might throw up. The Congress, on the other hand, is suggested to be wary of asking for votes with a political partner whose senior members seem tarnished by corruption.


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