CHENNAI, Dec 14: Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M Karunanidhi and Tamil Maanila Congress chief GK Moopanar will jointly decide on expanding their electoral front by admitting other parties including the CPM, Janata Dal and PMK. Addressing a press conference after the DMK executive meeting here today, Karunanidhi said, ``we will decide together on expanding the Democratic Progressive Front''.Asked if the DMK would reduce the number of seats that it allotted to the TMC in the 1996 elections so as to accommodate more parties, he replied, ``it is not a case of giving seats, it is sharing seats.'' Reacting to TMC leader Dhanushkodi Adithan's statement that his party would contest nothing less than 20 seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections, Karunanidhi stressed on the need for both the parties to desist from making statements on seat-sharing arrangement that could cause bitterness between the two allies.``Such statements were responsible for the bitterness in the past. Only the leadership of both parties can decide on seat sharing,'' he said. However, he refused to divulge the number of seats to be allotted to the TMC. ``The decision will be taken only after consultations between me and Moopanar,'' he reiterated.The DMK executive has set up a three-member committee comprising Ministers Arcot Veerasamy, Durai Murugan and party organising secretary Viduthalai Virumbi to hold talks with present and prospective allies on seat sharing arrangements.Karunanidhi said PMK leader and MLA R Dheeran had consulted him on the possibilities of an alliance in the coming elections. When it was pointed out that the PMK leadership had expressed its willingness to unite with the AIADMK also, the DMK chief quipped, ``that is a thought provoking point''. Responding to the TMC demand that the party should be consulted before taking any policy decision, he said: ``With elections round the corner, we (TMC-DMK) have forgotten about it''.Asked if the United Front's failure to project a prime ministerial candidate reflected its weakness, he said, ``In a democracy, this is not a weakness''. Karunanidhi denied that the BJP had sent feelers to the DMK for an alliance.The DMK chief said his party's poll plank would be the formation of a secular, federal and pro-poor government at the Centre. Referring to the resolution passed at the executive committee meeting, he said the DMK would also emphasise the need to keep corrupt elements at bay. In its resolution, the party executive condemned the ``arrogance and ignorance'' of the Congress in pulling down the UF Government over the Jain Commission's interim report, pointing out that judgement on the Rajiv Gandhi assassination was to be pronounced next month.
