Chennai:
Nearly two years after they parted ways, the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu on Sunday decided to revive its ties with the PMK, but refused to allot a seat to the party in the forthcoming Rajya Sabha polls.
Announcing the decision to re-admit PMK in the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said the decision was taken on the basis of letters PMK chief S Ramadoss wrote to him.
"Our intentions of re-admitting PMK into the alliance are well-founded," Karunanidhi told reporters after a meeting of DMK's high-level committee, which took the decision.
"We have taken the decision on the basis of letters written by PMK founder Ramadoss, who wanted the alliance to be revived," he said.
"The decision was taken in good intention. I hope they (PMK) will accept it," he said. But, the PMK may not be fully satisfied with the DMK's decision as the Karunanidhi-led party refused to allot a Rajya Sabha seat to PMK.
The tenure of Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss ends next month and the PMK had sought DMK's support to get him re-elected.
Biennial elections to six Rajya Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu will be held in June.
"Let bygones be bygones. At least let the future be good," a resolution adopted at the meeting said.
The resolution said the party decided to revive the ties after PMK founder S Ramadoss made overtures towards it.
The DMK-PMK alliance would be for the forthcoming elections to the Legislative Council, which has been revived by an Act in Parliament as also for the 2011 assembly polls.
It said the party would allocate one Rajya Sabha seat to the PMK in the biennial polls to be held after the assembly polls next year.
The DMK's decision assumes significance in the wake of speculation that principal opposition AIADMK, which has been battered by a series of desertions, may align with actor-politician Vijayakant's DMDK.
DMK snapped its ties with PMK in June 2008, capping months of bitter relationship between the two parties. DMK took the decision after senior PMK leader J Guru made some critical comments against Karunanidhi.
However, the two parties were on the same platform on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, but failed to stitch an alliance in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. PMK fought the general elections in alliance with AIADMK and drew a blank.
The tie-up would help DMK and PMK in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu where the most backward Vanniyar community, the vote bank of PMK, is dominant.
To a question whether Congress would accept PMK in the alliance, Karunanidhi said, "We will try our best to convince Congress to accept PMK in the alliance."
Congress, which has 36 MLAs in the 234-member assembly, is providing outside support to the DMK government in the state.
Karunanidhi said the ties with PMK would continue to last long. He also announced that the party would field K P Ramalingam, S Thangavel and T N Selvaganapathi in the next month's biennial polls.
"The Congress would contest one seat," he said.