DMK to go it alone in local polls

There has been a clamour from several Congress leaders to go it alone in the local body polls,an idea mooted by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi as per his plans to develop the party from the grassroots. This was strengthened by the humiliating defeat that the alliance suffered in the last Assembly polls which reduced all partners to the margins.

The vociferous and sometimes infuriating barbs by sections of the national party had forced the DMK into taking a calibrated stand,which was made clear by the unfavourable positions it took on various issues including on the question of bringing the Prime Minister under the ambit of the proposed Lokpal Bill. According to analysts,the present decision to contest on its own stemmed from the recent skirmishes within the coalition.

The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK),which contested the Assembly elections in alliance with the DMK,has already broken off,blaming the lead partner for the loss,while another ally,VCK,has remained indifferent to the coalition.

Last time,these parties contested the local body elections together and won handsomely,though the methods it adopted were widely criticised.

It is widely believed that elections to the local bodies will always be favourable to the party ruling the state for more reasons than one.

The same party ruling both tiers would ensure seamless governance (read funding); more importantly,any local body ruled by the opposition party will starve for funds from the state government as experience shows.

However,not all Congress leaders are concerned about the DMK’s decision,as they claim it would not have made a difference. Whether alone or in coalition,it was unlikely that the feeble opposition could challenge the AIADMK at this point of time,especially if it contested in alliance with its partners,said a Congressman,adding that the party could at best hope to keep the cadres active for party-building in the state that it once ruled.

‘Kanimozhi had no role in 2G scam’

Maintaining that his daughter Kanimozhi had no role to play in the 2G spectrum scam,DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Thursday said she was a mere share-holder in Kalaignar TV,owned by his family.

“Generally,it is not a practice to file case against share-holders (in such cases),” Karunanidhi said.