By IANS,
Chennai : Reversing his decision to abstain during Tuesday’s vote in parliament, Dayanidhi Maran of the DMK Sunday said he would follow the party diktat and vote for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
“As a loyal soldier of the DMK, I will vote for the victory of UPA and the continuance of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government,” Maran told a crowded press conference at his south Chennai residence.
But cheered by a huge gathering that egged him to form a new party, Maran blew hot and cold at the DMK leadership.
“Instead of handling the present crisis easily and overcoming it with the help of my leader Kalaignar’s astuteness, for reasons best known to the UPA, it has let the chance slip,” Maran quipped.
Commenting on chances of a rapprochement with the DMK leadership, Maran avoided referring to detractors from Karunanidhi’s immediate family.
“Though I still am in the DMK, persons close to the chief minister will prevent my getting closer (to Karunanidhi). I am yet to be told why I was asked to quit the union cabinet,” Maran added.
The former union minister of communications and IT had earlier given some anxious moments to his party by saying he would rather abstain than vote along with the rest of the DMK MPs to save the UPA regime.
Including Maran, the DMK has 16 members in the Lok Sabha.
Further, apart from its own 10 MPs’ support, UPA will also net six votes from the PMK (including one from Puducherry) and two from a rump of MDMK, taking the tally to 34 from Tamil Nadu.