DMK will consider poll tie-up with BJP, says Karunanidhi
R Rangaraj
The Indian Express
April 26, 1999
Title: DMK will consider poll tie-up with BJP, says Karunanidhi
Author: R Rangaraj
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: April 26, 1999
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president Muthuvel Karunanidhi is
not averse to an electoral tie-up with the BJP? in the next elections
to the Lok Sabha. In an interview with The Indian Express today,
Karunanidhi said an elect oral alliance with that party would be
considered by his party's executive committee and general council when
elections come and added the DMK was firm in its resolve to extend
support to the Vajpayee Government.
As a matter of strategy, he says the DMK's presence in a BJP-led front
would help establish ties between the minorities and the BJP Rather
than adopt a confrontationist attitude, the relationship with the BJP
would even help them come together, "which would be good for the
country.
Karunanidhi said the DMK would have been part of a Jyoti Basu-led
Third Front had it been formed last year but no initiative was taken
by the CPM.A Front is said to have cropped up overnight now but he had
high regard for Jyoti Basu. If he formed a Government. which was
unlikely, "it should last a full term," just as any alternative
Government formed by Sonia Gandhi should also he allowed to run its
full term since "frequent elections are not desirable". The DMK chief
lashed out at the Left parties for not consulting him and also
expressed his "anguish" that the Congress did not choose to discuss
the political situation and strategy with him.
Following is the first part of the interview:
Q: Will the DMKs support to the BJP-led Government at the Centre
culminate in an alliance with the BJP in the next Lok Sabha elections?
CM: Now ties have been established. The DMK has taken the stand of
supporting the Vajpayee Government in the present political situation.
We are firm in this stand. I don't wish to hide it. When elections
come, we will consider how to form that alliance. I don't wish to talk
about it now. I want to make one thing clear. This movement called the
DMK has been built on the foundation of self-respect. The policies of
the self-respect movement dwell on the approach to God religion and
casteism, but basically we cannot sacrifice the self-respect of our
organisation. It is not the self-respect of Karunanidhi, the
individual, which is involved. The self-respect of the organisation
very much forms part of the self-respect movement. How can we not
ponder over the fact that the Congress did not even invite such a
self-respect movement, the DMK, for discussions even once? This is
something that has caused us great anguish. They didn't call us for
talks.
Q: Therefore, do you consider the prospect of electoral alliance with
the BJP as bright?
CM: I cannot say no at this stage. Nor can I confirm it. This has to
be finalised by our party's Executive Committee and General Council.
Q: AP CM and TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu had initially said a few
days ago that his party supported only the BJP government and not the
party. However, the TDP continues to be part of the BJP coalition. Is
the DMK's support to the, BJP Government or to the party as, well?
CM: Our support is also to the BJP Government. We will not compromise
on our policies with regard to the BJP. We will support the
Government. We may have to take the stand as adopted by some
revolutionary parties in 1998 that despite being in the Government,
any issue which was contrary to the party's principles would be taken
up and discussed.
Q: Last year you had said that the DMK will consider supporting the
BJP if they proved their secular credentials. Do you still hold this
view?
CM: There is a general feeling in the country that there is a
confrontation between the BJP and the minorities. I am not saying no.
At the same time, Prime Minster Atal Behari Vajpayee, in a bid to
strengthen ties with Pakistan, undertook the bus journey to Lahore.
All these are good signs. Similarly, will it not be good for the
country if a situation is created in India by, which BJP partymen have
good relations with the minorities, particularly the Muslims and the
Christians? Will not our ties with the BJP help bring all sections of
society together instead of taking to a path of confrontation? Will
not that front be helpful?
Q: What will be the stand of the DMK, if Jyoti Basu heads an
alternative Government at the Centre on behalf of the Third Front?
CM: Had the Third Front which was contemplated last year been formed
then, we would have now been part of the front led by Jyoti Basu. But
the Third Front was a non-starter. A Third Front has now cropped up
overnight, all of a sudden. However, I hold Jyoti Basu in high esteem.
He is one of the senior leaders of the country. I have high regard for
him. However, I have my own doubts if Basu will accept the post of
Prime Minister Whether the Government will be m a position to even
partially implement the CPM's programmes will be a question mark. I
feel he may not thrust upon himself such a burden since he is in
favour of revolutionary changes in the economic situation. I think
Basu Will consider whether it will be possible to accept the economic
policies of the previous Govermnents including that of Manmohan Singh
and the BJP However, if he does form the Government, I hope that at
least he will be allowed to complete his full term. My view is that
Governments, whatever be their policies should be allowed to run the
full term, without giving room for frequent elections.
Q: Do you expect the Congress not to withdraw support unlike in the
past and to continue to extend support to a Government formed by Basu?
CM: I hope the Congress will give such a guarantee while installing
Basu in power.
Q: What is your response to the reported move of some parties to
establish a caretaker Government now?
CM: The present Vajpayee Government is itself a caretaker Government.
Where is the need to install another caretaker Government? I feel the
President will not go in for it.
Q: What will be your party's stand if Sonia Gandhi heads a Congress
Government? Will you feel that it should have a full term?
CM: I always hold that view. Even if there is a Government which
follows policies which are contrary to ours, it should be allowed to
last five years. Because after the Centre submits Budget proposals and
the States also fall in line and prepare State Budgets accordingly and
get ready to implement them, if the Union Government falls and fresh
elections come about, it affects both the Central and State
Governments. The administration cannot function effectively. More than
half the time will be spent on preparation for elections. Even if
funds are allotted, new schemes for the people cannot be announced or
implemented as per the directive of the Election Commission.
Q: Some months ago, you had taken steps to form a third front with
parties like the CPM and CPI through discussions in Delhi. Why did it
not take off.?
CM: That was because of the reluctance in the intervening period. They
didn't shown enthusiasm. Surjeet and others spoke to me about the
formation of the Third Front. Moopanar (TMC President) and I had
already given our approval. However, I feel that persons like Surjeet
did not take follow-up action.
Q: In the event of Basu forming a Government, will you press him not
to include the AIADMK led by Jayalalitha in the coalition
Government?
CM: I don't have to tell him that. Because, CPM and CPI leaders have
spoken about Jayalalitha in more harsh terms than me. They are aware
of her. I don't know why there is a change in the CPM now. At the
Calcutta conference of the CPM in October 1998, they adopted a
resolution declaring that they will continue to oppose the Congress
and the BJP whom it regarded as twin evils and that there is no
question of supporting the Congress. In March this year, the CPM
central committee adopted a resolution, strongly criticising the
atrocities committed by Jayalalitha.
Q: Will you urge Prime Minister Vajpayee to withdraw the Central
Government notification against the State Government stand on the
Special Courts to try corruption cases against Jayalalitha and others?
'
CM: We will not go in for any such deal. We await justice.
Title: Left, Cong hurt us, says Karunanidhi
Author: R.Rangaraj
Publication: Indian Express
Date: April 27, 1999
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi says AIADMK leader J Jayalalitha
withdrew her party's support to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led
Government as she was angry with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee
for refusing to dismiss the DMK Government in Tamil Nadu.
In this second and concluding part of his interview to The Indian
Express, he said the DMK was part of a combine at the Centre on two
occasions in the past which also included Vajpayee's party (than the
Jan Sangh). "No decision has been taken on joining the front but there
is nothing new if we become a part of the Vajpayee-led front," he
added.
Following is the second part of the interview:
Q: You have been active in the National Front for more than 10 years,
later in the United Front and until recently, in the Third Front. If
that was like your Thaay veedu (parent's house), can the BJP front,
which you have now entered, be likened to your in-laws' house?
CM: As far as the DMK is concerned, it was a constituent of the Janata
Party-led front when Morarji Desai was Prime Minister and when
Vajpayee's Jan Sangh was a part of it. Later, we were in the V P Singh
Government, too, which was supported by the BJP from outside.
Therefore, the BJP was in each of the fronts of which we were a
constituent, albeit called by different names. Therefore, the present
situation is not new-if we are part of a front now led by Vajpayee,
there would be nothing new about it.
We have still not taken a decision about joining the Vajpayee front.
Q: At what juncture did you decide to support the Vajpayee Government?
CM: When Jayalalitha said she would withdraw support, and withdrew
support. There is another thing I want to tell you. Our allies were
not ready to exchange views on the issue. We were not in a position to
meet from time to time to decide. When we happened to meet somewhere,
they also stressed that we should not form part of any front which had
Jayalalitha in it. I stressed the same. Our allies, whether the TMC,
CPI (M) or CPI, did not seem to differ from my stand. But none of them
told me, even prior to their announcement on April 16, about their
decision. In the meantime, Jayalalitha was invited for discussions by
leaders of their parties in Delhi.
These reports were appearing in the media.
Then too we were not consulted. It must be said that we were ignored.
You might still ask us why we did not support the Congress. The
Congress did not invite me or Maran in Delhi for talks. They invited
the TMC for discussions only on April 16.
Q: Did CPI (M) leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet or CPI leader A B
Bardhan not discuss the situation with you?
CM: No. They did not contact me. In Chennai, at a function at the
Kalaivanar Arangam, I discussed the situation with Thiru Sankaraiah
(CPI-M). Later, I informed him over the telephone on April 15 that we
cannot be a part of the Jayalalitha front.
He said we will consider the situation. But overruling others, the CPM
leadership in New Delhi decided otherwise. Further, I am not sure to
what extent the CPI was consulted. But I don't wish to go into that.
Q: Did CPI (M) leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet or CPI leader A B
Bardhan not discuss the situation with you?
CM: No. They did not contact me. In Chennai, at a function at the
Kalaivanar Arangam, I discussed the situation with Thiru Sankaraiah
(CPI-M). Later, I in formed him over the telephone on April 15 that we
cannot be a part of the Jayalalitha front. He said we will consider
the situation. But overruling others, the CPM leadership in New Delhi
decided otherwise. Further, I am not sure to what extent the CPI was
consulted. But I don't wish to go into that.
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