DMK Gives Green Signal!

DMK chief M. Karunanidhi has finally softened his stand and sent out a message here on Saturday, clearly indicating that his party was ready to participate in the Manmohan Singh government. Before leaving New Delhi on Friday morning, Karunanidhi reiterated his "dissatisfaction" with the number of berths being offered to his party.

He said he would stick to his decision of providing outside support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. What softened the 85-year-old Karunanidhi was Manmohan Singh's remark after his swearing-in ceremony last evening, expressing hope that "our valued colleagues will reconsider their decision".

Karunanidhi thanked the Prime Minister profusely for "clearing the air" over the corruption charges against two of the DMK's former Cabinet ministers - T.R. Baalu and A. Raja - "by some New Delhi-based television channels in the run-up to the government formation." "These TV channels deliberately ran a mud-slinging campaign against the two former ministers," Karunanidhi said, adding that Singh had rejected the charges against the ministers in his remarks to the media on Friday evening.