UPAs loss is not exactly a gain for the Third Front in Tamil Nadu. Fresh after snapping ties with the UPA after five years of partnership on Thursday,the Pattali Makkal Katchi remained non-committal about the post-poll scenario,deciding to take the decision jointly with AIADMK only after results are declared on May 16. We have not yet decided on whether to join Third Front or not,as the question arises only after election results are declared. As of now,our only decision regarding post-poll alliances is that we will take a step jointly with our alliance leader AIADMK and will support her decisions, said PMK founder S Ramadoss,refusing to rule out any options for the near future. Ramadoss party had decided to snap its ties with the UPA on Thursday,after being an ally since 2004. However,the parting was owing to sharp differences and distrust with the DMK at the State level rather than any problems with UPA leader Congress,raising doubts that PMK could be open to partnership with the party at the opportune moment. Several Congress leaders like Ahmed Patel,Ghulam Nabi Azad and other State level leaders had spoken to (Union Health Minister) Anbumani Ramadoss and myself to continue in the alliance. But,as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself said yesterday,our separation was due to the political situation existing in the State, said Ramadoss on his relation with the Congress leadership. PMK released its manifesto on Friday,which,apart from containing the expected issues like prohibition and tobacco control,supports division of larger States into smaller ones,increasing the total number of States from 28 to 50. Telangana could be a first step towards this. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister herself had favoured division of the state into smaller ones. Likewise,Vidarbha could be carved out of Maharashtra and Bihar could also be divided, said Ramadoss,adding that this would create equitable and accelerated development in otherwise neglected regions. India should retrieve Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka in view of the continuing killing of Indian fishermen by the Lankan navy,read the manifesto,which also raised the Sri Lankan Tamil issue,stating that Eelam was the only solution to end the decades-old armed conflict.
