'NDA didn't go by agenda'
M Karunanidhi asserted that his party had quit the NDA as alliance didn't stick to their 'agenda' with Vajpayee having no say in important matters.
DMK President M Karunanidhi on Thursday asserted that the party had quit the NDA as alliance had deviated from the National Agenda for Governance and claimed that the Prime Minister was not allowed to act on his own.
Taking strong exception to Prime Minister AB Vajpayee's remarks that the DMK should explain why it left the NDA, Karunanidhi told reporters that Vajpayee was unable to function on his own.
"Others did not allow him to act. Though he thought of listening to our demands, Deputy Prime Minister Advani and others prevented it," he charged.
"We were neglected and they did not listen to our demands. We had to leave NDA only because of this," he said.
He said the DMK wanted POTA to be repealed, but it was not done. The Centre constituted a review panel only after a lot of persuasion, he said, adding that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had not accepted it.
Vajpayee "did not have the courage to ask her", he said adding that even if he wanted to do so, Advani would not have permitted it.
Karunanidhi pointed out that the Maharastra government had abided by the POTA review committee's orders and had withdrawn POTA cases against some persons, while the Tamil Nadu government had not accepted the orders.
He said the very fact that BJP leaders were speaking in unison on constructing a Ram temple at Ayodhya was a violation of the promise in the Agenda.