No parleys on with DMK, claims BJP

CHENNAI, AUG 25: The Bharatiya Janata Party BJP today said there was no move to seek the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's support and that i...

CHENNAI, AUG 25: The Bharatiya Janata Party BJP today said there was no move to seek the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam8217;s support and that it didn8217;t think AIADMK chief Jayalalitha would gravitate towards the Congress.

8220;There is no negotiation with DMK,8221; BJP general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu told mediapersons here. 8220;There is no need for a deal with the DMK as the AIADMK and BJP sought the people8217;s mandate together and are still together.8221;

About speculation that all Jayalalitha was waiting for was a nod from Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the BJP leader said the Congress had already signalled that it was willing to form an alternative government.

8220;The real situation is that no alternative combination is possible. We are firmly in the saddle, and more and more people are willing to support the BJP,8221; he declared but did not say who these supporters were.

To whether the BJP was prepared for life without the AIADMK, Naidu said, 8220;I don8217;t apprehend Jayalalitha going to the Congress.8221;

Refuting a suggestion that the BJP was developing cold feet due to frequent threats from the AIADMK, he said the Vajpayee government had instead 8220;developed boldness8221;. 8220;Nobody can keep us on tenterhooks,8221; he asserted.

Naidu said the BJP did not want to join issue with its allies openly. The coordination committee was the proper forum for allies to air their grievances, he said, pointing out that the panel could be convened at a short notice on the request of any of its constituents.

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On Jayalalitha8217;s bribery charge against persons close to the Prime Minister, he said Pramod Mahajan8217;s letter challenging her to name him as the one she had accused had evoked no response from the AIADMK leader.

He said the Prime Minister had openly stated that if there was any material to substantiate her charge, Jayalalitha should have placed it before the government. Since she hadn8217;t done so, the issue was closed, he said.

As for Jayalalitha8217;s rejection of the Cauvery accord, Naidu stressed that he did not wish to join issue with the BJP8217;s ally but asserted that the four concerned states and the people had welcomed the accord.

The BJP leader however refused to comment on the strong words used by Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee and Defence Minister George Fernandes against Jayalalitha.