Karunanidhi denies threatening to pull out of UPA government

May 30, 2012
karunanidhi

Chennai, May 30: Within hours of threatening to pull out of the Central government if it failed to roll back the petrol price hike, DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Wednesday denied having made any such threat.

Blaming the media for misquoting him with a view to creating mischief, Karunanidhi told mediapersons that what he meant was that the DMK had not hesitated to pull out of the ministry in the past when the Union government failed to address public issues. He said, "What I said is that we have walked out in the past. I did not say we will walk out now from the Central government. It is media mischief."

With the Presidential election round the corner, he said the DMK would not do anything that would rock the UPA government. "Rather, we will remain in the alliance with all the bitterness." He said the Prime Minister had assured the DMK that he would look into the petrol price hikeissue.

Asked whether his party would quit if there was no roll back, Karunanidhi said, "I can't say at present as to what we will do if the hike is not rolled back. If we pull out, then there will be a crisis at the Centre and communal forces will seize the opportunity. We don't want to create such a situation."

Earlier in the day, addressing a DMK gathering organised to protest the petrol price hike, M Karunanidhi had warned the Centre that the DMK may be forced to pull out from the government if "anti-people policies" continued. Leading the protest in Chennai, Karunanidhi said: "We have been in coalition in the past with the BJP and VP Singh ( Janata Dal). Though we are a part of the central government, DMK has not hesitated to stop anti-people measures. It's in that spirit we are holding this agitation. We will sail with the Center as long as possible. We will request first, then will raise our objections strongly, if it is not responded to then we will leave to uphold our pro-people principles and policies. The Centre should not give room to drive us to that extent."

This is for the first time after a year since DMK tasted defeat in the assembly elections last year, that Karunanidhi participated in a protest. He had strongly condemned the Centre's stand on theMullaperiyar dam issue a few months ago.

Addressing the protest meeting, Karunanidhi also said the state government should protect the people from the burden of central taxes by its own strength. He observed that both the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government had raised prices of essential commodities. "Which government is going to rollback the price hike first? Who is going to receive people's appreciation? he asked. "Here is a competition, both governments should come forward to help the people," he commented in a sarcastic vein.

A host of DMK leaders including K Anbazhagan, MK Stalin and former ministers participated in the state-wide protests against the Centre and state government.

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Yadav assured that the SP would only contest in constituencies where it has a strong organizational presence and would ensure its participation does not affect the MVA’s overall prospects.

Several I.N.D.I.A. alliance members have expressed dissatisfaction with the Congress over seat-sharing arrangements in upcoming state polls. 

Both the CPI(ML)L and the RJD voiced frustration after being offered only 3-4 seats each for the Jharkhand elections by the Congress.

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News Network
October 21,2024

khalistan.jpg

Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on Monday warned passengers not to fly on Air India flights from November 1 to 19. He asserted that an attack could take place on an Air India flight during the specified dates, which coincide with the "40th anniversary of the Sikh genocide".

The founder of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who holds dual citizenship in Canada and the US, had issued a similar threat around the same time last year.

Pannun's fresh threat comes amid several airlines in India receiving multiple threat calls about potential bombings, all of which turned out to be hoaxes. It also occurred at a time when India and Canada are engaged in a murky diplomatic row following Canada's allegations of India targeting Khalistani elements in the country, including the murder of another terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In November 2023, Pannun released a video claiming that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport would be renamed and would remain closed on November 19, warning people against flying on Air India that day. The National Investigation Agency charged him with criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, and various offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

In December last year, Pannun threatened to attack the Parliament on or before December 13, following reports of an alleged foiled plot to kill him. December 13 marks the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Parliament in 2001.

He also threatened to kill Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of State Police Gaurav Yadav on Republic Day this year. He also urged gangsters to unite and launch an attack on Mann on January 26.

Pannun has been designated a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs since July 2020 on charges of sedition and secessionism, as he leads SFJ, a group advocating for a separate sovereign Sikh state. A year prior to this, India banned SFJ as an "unlawful association" for engaging in "anti-national and subversive" activities.

In another development, on October 17, the United States charged a former officer of India's spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder Pannun, a charge New Delhi has rejected as baseless allegations.

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