Surjeet, who is in Chennai to participate in the 17th CPI national Congress, told waiting mediapersons that ``we discussed how we could revive the third front''.

On Karunanidhi's comment that the United Front did not exist now, Surjeet said, ``everybody knows that the UF does not exist in the same name but there has to be some third front''. He, however, refused to answer a question regarding his utterings against the Chief Minister's stand that `support to a Government was different from extending support to a political party', at a public meeting in Dindigul yesterday.

He did not entertain further questions saying ``we had a very short meeting hence we could not discuss many things.''

Sometime after Surjeet left, Punjab Chief Minister and ShiromaniAkali Dal (SAD) leader Parkash Singh Badal, who is also a coalition partner of the BJP, made a `courtesy' call on Karunanidhi.

When reporters drew his attention to Karunanidhi's remarks, in an interview, that the DMK was prepared to support the BJP if the party proved its secular credentials, Badal quipped ``I cannot comment on it as his (Karunanidhi's) opinions are much more mature than mine. He is a senior statesman and I cannot interfere in his stand.''

On the meeting which lasted nearly 15 minutes, he merely said that he and Karunanidhi were very old friends. ``The DMK and SAD were among the first parties to raise their voice seeking more powers to the States'', he said adding ``we were dubbed as separatists for having demanded the same.''

Meanwhile, Karunanidhi responding to a query, said that no decision had been taken by the DMK on forming a third front. He merely said that ``we (he and Surjeet) will meet again and speak.''