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Political Notes |
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Tamil Nadu : DMK gunning for Jayalalithaa
The DMK shows no signs of forgetting the humiliation heaped on its leadership by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. Using draconian methods, the Tamil Nadu police had dragged senior DMK leaders out of their homes at night and in an act of vindictiveness, kept DMK chief Karunanidhi in the same cell in which Jayalalithaa was kept. Now after bagging the key portfolios it wanted, the DMK is now busy on how to get even with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.
As Union ministers belonging to the DMK assumed charge of their portfolios, the MoS in charge of the revenue department in the Union finance ministry, S.S. Palanimanickkam, signalled that cases against Jayalalitha would be speeded up.
Palanimanickam said: “All old tax cases against anybody will be pursued.” The row over portfolios earlier, with the DMK insisting on getting charge of shipping, revenue and personnel, was widely perceived to have been caused by its desire to be in a position to close in on its arch rival, Jayalalitha. It is for this reason that the DMK reportedly bargained for porfolios like ministers of state in finance, home and law, besides Cabinet-rank slots in shipping, surface transport and national highways and communications and information technology.
Samajwadi Party to keep out of Govt
The Samajwadi Party (SP) will not join the
Congress-led UPA government at the Centre.
However, the party would be lending outside support to the Manmohan Singh government at the Centre. This was clearly signalled by SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, who resigned his Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat and retained his Assembly seat. For the present, he would continue as UP chief minister. In fact, Yadav had set his sights on playing a major role in the government formation at the Centre, by deciding to contest the Lok Sabha poll from Mainpuri. Since he had won the seat, he had to decide within 15 days whether he would retain the Assembly or the Lok Sabha seat. Former Prime Minister V.P. Singh and CPI(M) general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet had been keen on ensuring that Samajwadi Party is brought on board. They wanted the Samajwadi Party to be included in the secular front and to join the government to extend inside support. He had expected to play the role of a king-maker. But with the present arithmatic, he is no longer critical to the government despite winning the largest number of Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh.
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