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| Wednesday, 31 December 2003 |
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Another ally exits India's ruling coalition NEW DELHI, Tuesday (AFP) A four-member regional party decided on Monday to pull out of India's ruling Hindu nationalist coalition to protest against the continued imprisonment of one its leaders. But the move will not affect the stability of the coalition government which holds a comfortable majority. Two federal ministers belonging to the southern Indian party, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), were also expected to quit the coalition government which numbers around 20 parties. "The decision will not affect the federal coalition or the government," said ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. The MDMK was upset with the federal government for not acting to free MDMK leader M.K. Vaiko from jail more than a year after his arrest by authorities in southern Tamil Nadu state under a tough national anti-terror law. The MDMK's decision comes less than a week after another southern Indian political party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), with 11 MPs, decided to pull out of the government for the same reason. Both the DMK and MDMK have accused Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha Jayaram of abusing the country's Prevention of Terrorism Act by jailing a number of her political opponents. |
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