Chennai:
An emergency meeting of the executive council of UPA's key ally DMK is underway in Chennai to discuss ways to counter the AIADMK government's move to slap cases against its leaders. Around four hundred members, including A Raja and Kanimozhi, are attending the meet.
Ever since the Jayalalithaa government stormed to power in May 2011, several DMK leaders and former ministers have been facing the heat with land grab and disproportionate assets cases filed against them.
The DMK has maintained that many cases were foisted ones. A statement by party last week claimed that a slew of cases were being slapped on its leaders, with some of them being detained under the stringent Goondas Act by the government, with a view to "prevent them from actively participating in cooperative and parliamentary elections".
The meeting is being held under the leadership of DMK chief M Karunanidhi at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam in Chennai, DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan said.
Recently, the party had taken a tough stand against Centre's fuel price hike and its nod for allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail. The DMK has even refused to send replacements to the Union Cabinet to fill up places left by A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran.
Mr Karunanidhi once again declared that the DMK won't nominate anyone for any ministerial post in the Central government in any reshuffle.
"Whatever the changes in the central government, there will not be anybody on behalf of DMK party becoming a cabinet minister or minister of state," he said in a statement on Sunday.
The DMK's A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran had quit Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Cabinet following the telecom scandal. While Mr Raja resigned in November 2010, Mr Maran quit as textiles minister in July 2011. The DMK has not nominated anyone in their place yet.
Mr Karunanidhi also denied that the DMK would accept additional ministerial berths in the Central government.
The party is quite worried that the ruling AIADMK could slap fresh round of cases against its senior leaders. The DMK has maintained a distance from the Congress since the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections of 2011 brought the AIADMK to power.
The party also took part in a nationwide strike called by the Opposition in September against the Centre's economic decisions.
The meeting comes at a time when Karunanidhi's grandson Durai Dayanidhi's imminent arrest in the granite scam case. Mr Dayanidhi has been absconding for a month after a firm closely linked to him was declared guilty of illegal mining near the temple town of Madurai in Tamil Nadu. Airport officials have been warned to look out for him to prevent him from leaving the country.
His lawyers had applied for anticipatory bail, which was turned down by the Madras High Court last week.
(With inputs from Agencies)