Chennai, Dec. 15: M. Karunanidhi told his party's general council today that the DMK would not revive its alliance with the Congress for next year's general election, sources said.
"We have had enough. Even if it's prescribed as a medicine, we will not have any truck with the Congress," the party patriarch was quoted as saying in remarks that apparently drew cheers at the closed-door meeting.
Later, asked by the media about a possible alliance with the Congress, the former chief minister seemed to provide indirect confirmation, saying: "Some news would have already reached your ears."
The DMK had dumped the Congress in March this year, after partnering it for 10 years through two successful Lok Sabha elections and an Assembly poll victory. The reason cited was New Delhi's purportedly weak stand at the United Nations on Colombo's alleged atrocities on Sri Lankan Tamils.
Karunanidhi said a party committee would discuss possible allies and arrive at a decision. The general council has authorised Karunanidhi to take the final call on any alliance.
The DMK now has a tie-up with two Dalit parties and a minority outfit. It is expected to broker a deal with actor Vijayakanth's DMDK.
At today's meeting, sources said, some speakers broached a possible alliance with the BJP but Karunanidhi said that chapter had closed with the end of Atal Bihari Vajpayee's rule. The DMK was part of the NDA from 1999 till December 2003 before joining the Congress.
Most of the speakers cautioned against tying up with the Congress again. They cited the Congress's poor show in the 2011 Tamil Nadu elections when it won just five seats, and mentioned its unpopularity on the Lankan Tamil issue.
"Let us also not forget how the Congress pinned the entire blame on the 2G issue on the DMK's minister (A. Raja) to protect its own ministers," former Rajya Sabha member Tiruchy N. Siva was quoted as saying.
The DMK has been angered by a joint parliamentary committee report that has fixed the blame on Raja while sparing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and finance minister P. Chidambaram, who too were involved in the decision-making process.
The Congress's miserable showing in four states in the recent Assembly polls too was a factor.
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