Ramadoss welcomes DMK support, requests TMC to back BJP Govt

CHENNAI, APRIL 15: Optimistic about DMK's support for the BJP Government in the event of a no-trust motion in the Parliament, PMK leader ...

CHENNAI, APRIL 15: Optimistic about DMK8217;s support for the BJP Government in the event of a no-trust motion in the Parliament, PMK leader S Ramadoss on Wednesday welcomed the DMK8217;s stand to distance itself from any AIADMK-sponsored alternative dispensation at the Centre and also appealed to the TMC to back the BJP.

In an informal chat with the media here, Ramadoss said that the PMK would continue its support to the Vajpayee government in keeping with its election promise of providing a stable and able Government. All the same, the PMK would continue its alliance with the AIADMK at the state level. quot;State politics is different from national politics,quot; he explained.

He expressed confidence that the Vajpayee Government would survive principally because neither the people nor the political parties were in favour of mid-term elections. quot;Even the Congress wants polls only in November this year,quot; he said, adding that the Congress was in no position to form an alternative dispensation at the Centre.

According to him, a few Congress MPs who did not want mid-term elections might back the BJP government. Asked if the BJP Government would survive in the context of the present Parliamentary arithmetics, Ramadoss said that the Government could count on the support of the DMK and the BSP. quot;BSP would not support any alternative Government in which Mulayam Singh Yadav figures. And the DMK has clarified that it will not back any Government propped up by Jayalalitha.quot;

As for Jayalalitha withdrawing support to the Vajpayee Government, he merely said: quot;It was expected.quot;

Significantly he ruled out any possible patch-up between the AIADMK and the BJP, stating that quot;we have crossed the stagequot;. Asked if he would use his good offices to influence the AIADMK supremo, Ramadoss grinned and added, quot;there is no usequot;.

According to him, Jayalalitha may not be aware of the real motives behind Janata Party leader Subramaniam Swamy8217;s moves and she was being misled by him.

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Earlier, Union Health Minister and PMK leader Dalit Ezhilmalai told the media that the Vajpayee Government was stable and there was no reason to worry about its continuance.

Asked about the AIADMK8217;s sudden decision to pull out support for the Vajpayee Government, he said that regional parties should strive for the betterment of the states they represent. But the AIADMK had demanded the ouster of Defence Minister George Fernandes and a Joint Parliamentary Committee8217;s probe into the sacking of Naval chief Bhagwat, he said.