Top DMK leaders to meet on Tue

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, sulking over the portfolios allotted to its ministers in the Manmohan Singh government, will hold an emergency meeting of its top leaders in Chennai on Tuesday.

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DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan said the meeting will discuss 'urgent and important matters'. He did not elaborate.

Party president M Karunanidhi late last night had announced that his ministers will not assume charge until they were given the portfolios they were promised.

In a bid to mollify the DMK, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday spoke to Karunanidhi over the phone.

According to a senior party leader in New Delhi, the Congress had initially offered shipping and transport to senior DMK leader T R Baalu, but he was eventually allotted road and surface transport.

S S Palanimanikkam, who has been made minister of state in commerce and industries ministry, was promised minister of state rank in the finance ministry.

"Barring these two ministries, all other allocations are in order," the leader said.

The DMK has seven ministers in the Congress-led coalition government with three of them -- T R Baalu, Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja -- holding cabinet rank.

With inputs from Onkar Singh in New Delhi