DMK to continue as part of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government

CHENNAI: DMK will continue to be part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre. Despite its annoyance with Congress, and support to an opposition-sponsored general strike on Thursday, DMK will not destabilise the government, at least for the time being.

"It's like muddy water, post rain. We need to wait till the water becomes clear," a DMK functionary remarked. DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi appears peeved that Congress did not consult allies 'enough' before announcing the measures which triggered the strike - increase in the price of diesel, capping the number of subsidised cooking gas cylinders to six per connection and allowing foreign investment in multi-brand retailing.

DMK, with 18 LS seats, was not expected to participate in Thursday's bandh after the Centre excluded Neyveli Lignite Corporation from the disinvestment programme. DMK's opposition to Neyveli Lignite's divestment is well-known. Its opposition to FDI in multi-brand retail is mainly due to the 8-10% votes from the trading community, especially Nadars. Karunanidhi showed his displeasure with Congress when he avoided meeting President Pranab Mukerjee during a recent visit to Chennai. Last week, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Chennai, en route to Kerala, he shied away from paying him a courtesy call.

On the other hand, there is speculation that DMK rival, chief minister J Jayalalithaa's AIADMK is edging closer to Congress. Jayalalithaa has refrained from commenting on Trinamool Congress' withdrawal of support to the ruling alliance. She had been in New Delhi to attend the meeting of the Cauvery River Authority, but, ahead of that meeting, she met Singh and greeted him in Chennai when the prime minister was on his way to Kerala.