M A I N   N E W S

President accepts PMK ministers’ resignations 
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Feb 7 — The resignations of the two PMK ministers—Mr N.T.Shanmugham and Mr E.Ponnuswamy—were accepted by the President here today.

The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, who had held back the resignation letters on the hope that the National Democratic Alliance partner could be convinced to change its stand on leaving the alliance and join the AIADMK, forwarded their papers a day after the PMK formally announced yesterday that it was joining the main Opposition party in Tamil Nadu.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique today said, “The President of India has been pleased to accept, on the Prime Minister’s recommendation, the resignations of Mr N.T.Shanmugham, Minister of State (Independent charge) for Coal and Mr E.Ponnuswamy, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, from the Council of Ministers.”

The decision to forward the resignation letters of the two ministers followed behind the scene parleys in which the PMK was told that it could remain within the NDA at the national level and on the regional front join hands with the AIADMK. This would have ensured the support of five MPs that the PMK commands in the fragile coalition.

According to sources, the PMK has given an assurance that it will go with the NDA in major national issues and in case of the coalition running into trouble in Parliament the PMK will come to its aid by voting in its favour.

The PMK supremo, Dr Ramadoss, had yesterday met AIADMK chief Jayalalitha Jayaram and tied up an alliance for the forthcoming polls in April-May.

The PMK accused the DMK of playing the “big brother” and of trying to suppress it.

The PMK’s future relations with the NDA could be gauged from Dr Ramdoss’s parting statement that he was parting company with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, with a heavy heart. “I have not seen a perfect gentleman like him”, he said.

Meanwhile, the DMK leader and Commerce Minister, Mr Murasoli Maran, met the Prime Minister and discussed the latest political situation arising out of the PMK’s decision to quit the NDA government.

Mr Maran, while discussing the possibility of a realignment of forces in the state, informed the Prime Minister that with the departure of PMK from the front, several other parties and forces would be willing to join the NDA.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan communique accepting the resignation of two PMK ministers from the government followed Mr Maran’s meeting with the Prime Minister.