Chennai, Saturday, 04 February 2012: Keeping his options open for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, DMKPresident M Karunanidhi on Friday night said his party would consider aligning with secular forces working for the poor and downtrodden.

He “strongly refuted” Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal’s statement shifting the blame of 2G spectrum allocation scam on Karunanidhi’sparty colleague A Raja.

Wondering why Sibal made such a remark as he himself had said that the first-come-first-serve policy was in vogue in the earlier BJP-led NDAregime also, Karunanidhi, however, said any BJP minister who had handled that portfolio and if found guilty of any wrong-doing, should be punished.

Sibal had said yesterday that the Supreme Court had clearly said the then minister (Raja) did not heed to the good advise of both Prime MinisterManmohan Singh and the Finance Ministry.

Speaking to reporters at the end of the day-long General Council meeting attended by senior party leaders, Karunanidhi, however, stayed away from commenting on demands for Home Minister P Chidambaram’s resignation in connection with the 2G issue.

On the question of alliance, he said it was not discussed today.
“There is time to decide on alliance for next Lok Sabha polls.We will consider any secular party that promises development of the poor and downtrodden and approaches us,” he said.

Karunanidhi said some members had observed in the general council meeting that Congress had betrayed Tamil Nadu on issues like attack on Indian fishermen allegedly by Sri Lankan Navy, but he had counselled them and had held, “a progressive and secular party should be supported in elections.”

To a query on a report that his son MK Stalin was a preferred choice as his successor, the DMK patriarch quipped, “would I not be proud if my son gets such a honour”.

However, he ruled out a change in party leadership, saying the process would take at least a year.

“Elections should be held at the local levels whose representatives later choose the general secretary and the president,” he said.

The succession war always dominated the party affairs with Union Minister MK Alagiri, considered party’s strongman in the south, opposing any change in party leadership.

Earlier, several leaders are understood to have expressed their opinion on various issues confronting the party, including succession issue and alliance matters against the backdrop of the general elections.

Senior leader and former minister Veerapandi S Arumugam was heckled by some of his colleagues when he raised some questions on the succession issue. However, things were brought to normal with the intervention of senior leaders.

Earlier, the General Council, the top decision-making body, adopted as many as 26 resolutions including on Centre’s inaction on the controversialKoodankulam Nuclear power project, Mullaperiyar issue involving Keralaand attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy.

It also slammed Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on different issues including dumping DMK-initiated projects like the New Assembly-Secretariat complex and Anna Centenary Library.
(News agency)