Pondy Cong. rejects PMK ultimatum

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, APRIL 7. The Pondicherry Chief Minister and senior Congress leader, Mr. P. Shanmugham, today rejected the PMK leader, Dr. S. Ramadoss' ``ultimatum'' to the Congress that it should decide its alliance strategy in the Union Territory in two days.

``None of our allies have imposed such a deadline. The AIADMK general secretary, Ms. Jayalalitha, has not said it,'' Mr. Shanmugham told The Hindu before leaving for Delhi for confabulations with the Congress president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.

Mr. Shanmugham held discussions with the Tamil Maanila Congress president, Mr. G.K. Moopanar, at the latter's residence for nearly half an hour this afternoon. Reacting to Dr. Ramadoss' statement that the Congress would be given only nine seats by the AIADMK front, Mr. Shanmugham said, ``We are in an alliance with the AIADMK. And Ms. Jayalalitha has not made such a proposal. She is nice to the Congress''.

As for the possibility of avoiding a third front in Pondicherry, Mr. Shanmugham, who asserted on Wednesday that a ``united secular front will be forged in Pondicherry'', was non- committal today. ``Let us see. Our party high command has to decide''.

The Congress would finalise its alliance in Pondicherry tomorrow, he indicated.

But Congress and TMC sources admit that the PMK leader's outbursts had thrown the seat negotiations for cobbling up a united secular front off the rails.

But the TMC leadership appears to make last-ditch efforts to avoid a third front as it wants the Tamil Nadu alliance pattern, where the Congress-TMC have joined the PMK- inclusive AIADMK front, to be extended to the Union Territory.

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