Now DMK questions selloff

Adhere to National Common Minimum Programme strictly, Karunanidhi tells govt

Even as the Congress and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tried got into the damage control act after the Left parties decided to boycott UPA-Left co-ordination meetings over the disinvestment issue, the Left stance drew support from a crucial constituent of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition, the DMK.

DMK chief M Karunanidhi's letter to both the Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi accused the government of its "first serious violation of the common minimum programme" by deciding to disinvest 10 per cent equity in Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Bhel).

"The UPA government need not have any misunderstanding with the Left parties differing (from them on) the decision of the national common minimum programme," Karunanidhi said in his letter.

"As we have all accepted earlier, I request you to strictly adhere to the national common minimum programme," the DMK chief said.

While the government is worried over both the letters, it put Karunanidhi's outburst down to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's statement that despite the fact that all DMK, PMK and MDMK ministers being present at the Cabinet meeting, which approved hiking petrol and diesel prices, none had protested against the move.

"Actually, the DMK is also keen to distance itself from some unpopular decision taken by the central government. The results of the Tamil Nadu by-election, won by the AIADMK, have also shaken the DMK, since it is to face Assembly elections soon," said a source in the Congress.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister today had a telephonic conversation with CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat and is understood to have assured him of discussing issues raised by the Left.

Setting in motion the exercise in the wake of the Left parties' decision to stay away from UPA-Left coordination committee meetings, Gandhi talked to the Prime Minister who in turn held talks with Karat as also West Bengal Chief Minister Buddadeb Bhattarcharya.

The Prime Minister is understood to have told Karat that the issues would be further discussed once Gandhi returned to Delhi from Shimla after her five-day sojourn.

Same was the stance adopted by the Congress with the party's media cell chief Ambika Soni saying the matter was a simple difference of political agenda.

"The UPA came together in order to forge a secular alliance and to keep communal forces at bay. The national common minimum programme was devised in order to be a guiding principle for the government made up of diverse political groups. It is natural that different political formations have different agenda, but this isn't something that cannot be solved through discussions," said Soni.

Congress sources said a meeting of the core group of the party would be held after Gandhi's return to the capital to find a way out of the first ever major standoff in the UPA coalition with the supporting Left parties.

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is one of the members of the high-level group, is currently abroad.

Party leaders declined to hazard any guess whether the development would affect the plans of reshuffle of the Union council of ministers expected in the first week of next month.

"These are matters to be decided by the Prime Minister in consultation with the UPA chairperson" was the stock refrain in the Congress.

Meanwhile, the CPI(ML) today asked the Left parties to immediately quit the coordination committee instead of issuing "empty threats".