RailEnquiry

After Trinamool Congress's exit from the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and its government at the Centre, the DMK has been flexing its muscles seeking a bigger pie in the Union Cabinet.Sources told Headlines Today on Friday that DMK Chief M. Karunanidhi has been eyeing the railway ministry, vacated by Trinamool's Mukul Roy.Interestingly, the development shows a shift from the DMK's earlier stand that it did not want to fill in the two ministerial berths held by it in the UPA-2 after A. Raja and Dayanidhi Maran were made to resign following corruption charges. The party currently has one cabinet minister and four ministers of state in the government.While the Trinamool chief, Mamata Banerjee, had taken on the government on the issues of FDI and hike in diesel prices, the DMK opened a front putting pressure on the UPA government asking it not to allow Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to visit India.Karunanidhi shot off a fresh letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday, protesting the decision to send a Union minister to receive Rajapaksa."Central government sent a minister to welcome Rajapaksa and prime minister hosted a feast. Though it cannot be avoided diplomatically, many who love Tamils know how it hurts the sentiments. Observers know how Sri Lanka is maintaining friendly ties with China and Pakistan. And Sri Lanka is adapting a pressure tactics. Repeatedly I have been saying that Pakistan and China are helping Sri Lanka behind the curtains. But is the government trusting us," Karunanidhi asks in his letter.

"However friendly India tries to be with Sri Lanka that country is not ready to accept it. I am sure Indian government knows all this. At least now government should wake up and not fall in the trap laid by Rajapaksa. I request Centre to save at least the leftover Tamils," the letter states.