Chennai: DMK chief M. Karunanidhi on Tuesday wanted 'suitable arrangements as per law' to fulfil the needs of people till Chief Minister J. Jayalalihtaa's recovery leaving the kind of arrangement open-ended and undefined.
The demand made in the DMK leader's letter in party organ Murasoli' is a softening of the party's earlier stand of appointing an interim or deputy Chief Minister. On October 7, party treasurer M.K. Stalin made the demand for interim Chief Minister, but Karunanidhi refrained from making the same request, which had not found support from any of the Opposition parties, including their ally Congress.
On key issues like Cauvery dispute, the state government is inactive due to the hospitalisation of the Chief Minister, the DMK leader said and added that the ministers and Chief Secretary are not ready to take any decision without consulting the Chief Minister.
Opposition parties have been supporting the demands of Cauvery delta farmers with the same objective even though the state government has not convened an all-party meeting or a special Assembly session, he said.
The softening of the stand follows accusations by the ruling party that the DMK is trying to gain political mileage out of the present circumstances. Other opposition parties too have opposed the need for appointing an interim Chief Minister.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko was the first to oppose Stalin's demand for an interim Chief Minister and TNCC president S. Thirunavukkarasar followed it with an assertion that it is up to the ruling party to make any such decision. BJP leaders Venkaiah Naidu and Muralidhar Rao too had asserted that they would not demand an interim Chief Minister. Union Minister Pon. Radhakrishnan had gone a step further and said the Congress is creating an impression that BJP is pressing for an interim CM.
VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan, who earlier spoke on the need for interim arrangements, later denied that he wanted an interim Chief Minister. The Left parties and TMC too are on the same page. It is to be seen if Karunanidhi's toning down of the demand leaving the kind of interim arrangement undefined leads to a consensus among the Opposition as none of the them has opposed
an interim arrangement.
