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DMK leaders Mr M.K. Alagiri and Mr Dayanidhi Maran today renewed their efforts to find a way out of the crisis over seat-sharing issue with the Congress in Tamil Nadu by meeting the Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee.
The two parties are deadlocked on a deal over sharing of seats following the DMK’s decision to pull out its ministers from the UPA Government over Congress attitude.
The meeting, in which another DMK leader Mr S.S. Palanimanickam was also present, came after their talks with Ms Sonia Gandhi last night failed to yield results.
Congress sources said there was no breakthrough during the talks amid reports that Ms Gandhi was peeved with DMK’s decision to pull out its ministers from the UPA Government.
There was no word from either side about what transpired during the talks with Mr Pranab Mukherjee, who has been acting as the main trouble-shooter following the DMK’s sudden move.
Reports had it that Ms Gandhi had conveyed to the DMK leaders her displeasure over the party’s action which had come as a bolt from the blue for the Congress in the middle of the Budget session of Parliament.
Congress sources claimed that the brinkmanship in the DMK was out of internal problems in the organisation between Mr Alagiri, having influence in South Tamil Nadu, and the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr M.K. Stalin, whose stronghold is North Tamil Nadu.
The sources said that Mr Pranab Mukherjee has already twice held telephonic talks with the DMK supremo, Mr M. Karunanidhi, and a possibility of the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, coming into the picture at the last minute to hammer out a solution is not ruled out.
The Congress is insisting on contesting 63 seats whereas the DMK is prepared to give 60, twelve more over the number Congress contested in the last elections. DMK is also not wiling to concede to Congress the choice of seats.
A section in the Congress believes that a way out would be found out sooner than latter with the DMK itself realising the problems it could face by such an action.
Meanwhile, Congress MPs from Tamil Nadu also met Mr Pranab Mukherjee today to apprise him of their concerns in the matter.
“Congress votes are the deciding votes in Tamil Nadu. Only the party which is with the Congress can win. So far the alliance is on. I wish it will continue,” Congress MP Mr J.H. Haroon told reporters outside Parliament House.
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