Putting all rumours to rest that Congress-DMK alliance is on the rocks, Finance Minister and Congress’ chief troubleshooter Pranab Mukherjee has said that the alliance is intact. “There is a lot of writing and speculations whether the alliance between Congress and DMK is continuing or not. My respectful submission would be, this alliance is there, the alliance will continue and it will be strengthened,” Mr Mukherjee said after meeting DMK patriarch Karunanidhi in Chennai today. Sources have told NDTV that Mr Mukherjee offered two Cabinet berths to the DMK, in the 20 minute one-on-one meeting with the DMK chief. However, Karunanidhi is reluctant on sending replacements for Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja to the Cabinet, the sources added. Mr Mukherjee had earlier said that he discussed the current political situation with Mr Karunanidhi. “This is my first visit to Chennai after the general elections to the state Assembly took place. Whenever I come to Chennai, I make it a practice to call on the leader and discuss political situations prevailing at that point of time. Therefore, when I came to Chennai this time, I took the opportunity of calling on the leader, Kalaignar Karunanidhi, and discussing the current political situation prevailing in the country,” he had said. The meeting comes shortly after the resignation of DMK leader Dyanidhi Maran as the Union Textiles Minister and a Cabinet reshuffle in the UPA II government. Mr Maran put in his papers a day after the CBI, investigating the 2G scam, said it had preliminary evidence against him and he is being investigated for misusing his office when he was the telecom minister. Mr Maran greeted the Finance Minister as he arrived to meet the Kalaignar and was present in the meeting. Mr Mukherjee met the DMK patriarch apparently to know about the party’s choice for replacements for Maran and A Raja, who had earlier quit over 2G scam. At present, the UPA’s key regional ally has only one representation in the Cabinet – M K Alagiri, Mr Karunanidhi’s son. Earlier, reports said that Karunanidhi is upset at his daughter Kanimozhi being in jail in connection with the 2G scam and the exit of Dayanidhi Maran. Kanimozhi was taken into Tihar Jail in Delhi in May, a day after the DMK was routed in the Tamil Nadu state elections. Mr Karunanidhi was voted out as Chief Minister. The DMK fought the election with the Congress. The dismal performance of the alliance and the arrest of Kanimozhi by the CBI have been strangling the partnership that Mr Karunanidhi holds with the Congress at the Centre. With 18 Lok Sabha MPs, his party is a formidable partner in the Congress-led UPA coalition. Sources say that in end-July, the DMK will hold an executive meeting to decide whether to continue its alliance with the Congress. PM meets Sonia again ahead of Cabinet reshuffle Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday held a private meeting with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi for the third time ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle. The reshuffle is likely to happen as early as Monday. Sources have told CNN-IBN that Dinesh Trivedi is tipped to get the Cabinet Railways portfolio and Mukul Roy may remain the Minister of State for Shipping. Sources have also said that Sudip Bandopahyay is tipped to replace Dinesh Trivedi as Minister of State for Health. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee also met DMK leader M Karunanidhi on Saturday to convince him about DMK-Congress relations. The DMK had earlier made it clear that it won’t be pressing for replacements for Dayanidhi Maran or for former Telecom minister A Raja which means the DMK is making its peace with holding just one cabinet berth now currently held by MK Alagiri. It was being speculated that the two leaders may finalise the DMK’s portfolio in the new cabinet during this meeting. Mukherjee was asked questions on Cabinet reshuffle which he did not respond to. In 2009, the Prime Minister had put his foot down on the induction of former Union Minister TR Baalu and may not want him now. Within the DMK too, Baalu has had differences with Stalin and has had a difficult equation with Dayanidhi Maran. Apart from Baalu, naming any other candidate could result in creating internal troubles. The bottom line though is that the DMK, which started UPA II with three cabinet berths, may now be happy with just one – that of Union Minister and Karunanidhi’s elder son MK Azhagiri.
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