SP in hand, Congress dares DMK to pull out

NEW DELHI: Congress on Sunday brushed aside DMK's threat to pull out of the government, with Pranab Mukherjee calling M Karunanidhi and politely but firmly reiterating the party's demand for more seats and "winnable constituencies", putting the onus of saving the alliance on the Dravidian outfit. ( Congress calculation: DMK can't go it alone )

Party sources said the bottomline of 63 seats and select constituencies was non-negotiable and it was up to the DMK leadership to salvage the partnership. Samajwadi Party indicated that it was willing to take DMK's place, with Mulayam Singh Yadav saying his 22 members in Lok Sabha would continue to support the government.

One senior leader said, "The option of aligning with AIADMK is always there. Among other things, that will help us get rid of the spectrum scam taint". The AIADMK has nine Lok Sabha members. Whether or not there is a formal alliance with the Congress for the assembly polls or not, they will probably support the UPA if the DMK exits. ( Blame game on in DMK-Congress )

DMK's TR Baalu is likely to get time with the PM at 11am on Monday. Congress may scale down its demand for seats by a couple, but is not willing to relent on its insistence on specific seats.