Cong, DMK claim alliance is "intact and strong"

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi, who had a 30-minute interaction with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Monday morning, downplayed any strains in the DMK-Congress relationship and claimed that the alliance is “intact and strong”. This was the first meeting between the two leaders after the resignation of DMK’s A Raja from the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre following the former telecom minister’s alleged role in 2G spectrum scam.

On his part, the prime minister, too, discounted reports about troubles in the alliance. “Well, the alliance remains as strong as ever,” Singh told reporters.

The DMK chief had on Friday night skipped a dinner organised by Governor SS Barnala in prime minister’s honour, setting off speculations that the strains in the alliance have become irreparable. After the meeting with the prime minister, Karunanidhi tried to clear the air by saying that he could not attend the dinner on Sunday as he was engaged in another meeting. “I had to attend a function to release the collection of poems of my good friend and renowned Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu,” he said.

When asked whether he was upset about the Union environment ministry’s refusal to clear the state government’s Adyar eco-park, the response was an emphatic no. The 58-acre park is part of the restoration of 358-acre Adyar estuary and is a pet project of the deputy CM MK Stalin. The chief minister said that he submitted a detailed memorandum on the damage caused by the rains in several districts to the prime minister and requested the prime minister to sanction funds quickly so that the government can undertake relief and rehabilitation works.