New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is holding firm with the DMK, the UPA ally upset with portfolio allotment.
He has made clear that he's willing to take controversial ministers A Raja and T R Baalu in the Cabinet, but will not give them the Infrastructure portfolio as demanded by the DMK.
The PM is also willing to give the IT portfolio to the DMK, but not to Raja.
DMK chief M Karunanidhi left Delhi on Friday, upset with the Congress' final offer of three Cabinet and three Minister of State posts.
Manmohan Singh is now hoping that the DMK will reconsider what he calls a reasonable offer.
The blackmail drama seems a repeat of 2004. The only difference being that in 2004, the party actually joined the Government before going up in arms.
It got its way then, because the UPA sorely needed the numbers. But this time around, it has less elbow room, as the UPA has 304 seats without the DMK
In 2004 too, Karunanidhi pushed for the Shipping and Transport portfolio for T R Baalu. The congress conceded.
But now, the Congress is keeping that berth out of the DMK's reach.
Comments
0 comment