[ElectraDupu]

After issuing a veiled threat to pull out of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre over petrol price hike, DMK president M. Karunanidhi made it clear Wednesday his party would not create crisis before the Presidential election.

“We will continue in the alliance with bitterness,” he said.

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Leading a demonstration in Chennai earlier against the steep increase in petrol price, the DMK chief said whenever his party’s principles were trampled, he did not hesitate to walk out of coalitions, be it the V.P.Singh cabinet or the BJPled NDA.

Mr Karunanidhi said to loud cheer from party men that the central and state governments should not give scope for such actions.

Asked later about his threat to pull out of the alliance, he said he did not say DMK would walk out but only recalled it had been forced to following a clash of policies while being a member of the BJPled NDA and the V.P. Singh government.

Asked if his party would walk out of the UPA if there was no petrol price hike rollback, Mr Karunanidhi said he would not threaten

to pull out of the government if the hike was not rolled back.
“If we walked out, the coming government will be regressive with communal forces taking over,” he said, adding that he had been informed that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was looking into the issue and he was hopeful of getting good news.

Asked specifically if Wednesday’s protest was against the Centre, he said, “It is not against the Centre but against the [petrol price] hike.”

Source: Deccan Chronicle