UPA govt defends Karunanidhi

NEW DELHI: UPA government on Monday strongly backed ally and beleaguered Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, under attack from the Supreme Court for violating its order banning a shutdown in the state.

As pressure mounted on the chief minister, support came in the form of Union information and broadcasting minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi. “We will not even remotely do anything that could hurt the Tamil Nadu government,” he told reporters after a cabinet meeting. According to Mr Dasmunsi, Tamil Nadu did not come up for discussion in the Union cabinet. However, he said firmly: “The DMK and PMK are integral parts of the UPA; we are committed to defend their interests.”