DMK firm on no support to UPA: M Karunanidhi

CHENNAI: Dismissing reports that DMK was going soft on Congress-led UPA despite pulling out of it, party chief M Karunanidhi today ruled out even outside support to the ruling coalition on the ground that it failed to accept his party's demands on Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

Recalling DMK's announcement on withdrawal of support to UPA on March 19 over the Tamils issue, Karunanidhi said on that day itself he had made it clear that there would be no outside support and his party would not be responsible if "communal forces" came to power.

He dismissed as "mischievous" reports about DMK extending outside support to the UPA government and that it would not allow its fall.

"Our stand is that any goverment at the Centre should accept our demand for a credible, independent probe into war crimes by the Sri Lankan government and the genocide besides other resolutions adopted at TESO conference and party Executive.

"We came out of the alliance as UPA did not come forward to accept these demands," he said.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had questioned Karunanidhi's silence over a reported statement by DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan that the party would not topple the government and continue with T R Baalu as chairman of a railway committee despite the party withdrawing support to UPA.

On Tamil Nadu Assembly adopting a resolution calling for referendum on Tamil Eelam among others, the 88-year-old leader said they were on the lines of those passed in last year's TESO conference and, therefore, Dravidar Kazhagam leader K Veeramani and VCK founder Thol. Thirumavalavan had welcomed it.

On Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan's personal opinion that the venue of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Colombo should be changed, Karunanidhi said it was a "laudable statement," but wished it became the stand of his party (Congress) stand also.