By IANS,
New Delhi: Former minister T.R.Baalu was the only DMK leader to attend Sunday’s function to mark the second anniversary of the United Progressive Alliance-II government, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which provided outside support, boycotted the function.
All the six ministers from the DMK, the third largest party in the UPA, skipped the function following the arrest Friday of party Rajya Sabha member and DMK supremo M.Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi in the 2G spectrum case.
However, Baalu, who was in a minister in the first UPA government and is presently the leader of the DMK parliamentary party, was in a prized place, seated next to UPA chief Sonia Gandhi.
The BSP boycotted the function to protest against the statements by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and his mother and party chief Sonia Gandhi rapping the Mayawati-led BSP government’s mishandling of the farmers’ agitation in Greater Noida, in which at least four people, including two policemen were killed May 7.
Rahul Gandhi had taken a group of farmers to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week. He had quoted the farmers of alleging “mass murder and rape” in Bhatta-Parsaul village – the epicentre of the farmers’ agitation.
The UPA function was attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his cabinet colleagues and other UPA leaders.