DMK’S Chief Karuna’s Orginal Face

He is learnt to have told his party colleagues that his first priority was to get his daughter out of jail, staking claim to ministerial berths could come later. For the DMK chief, sticking with Congress is the safe bet for now. He cannot afford to jettison Congress at this juncture, having been ousted from the perch in his home state.

The prime minister, while speaking to newspersons after the swearing in ceremony on Tuesday evening, confirmed that two Cabinet slots were left vacant for DMK. Karunanidhi echoed similar sentiments in Chennai, when he indicated that the UPA government will have to undertake another expansion to accommodate his party's interests.

"The reshuffle exercise is not complete yet. I will comment on it after a formal announcement," the DMK chief said. With his party going through a severe crisis, having been tarred with the 2G taint and thrown out of power by the electorate in Tamil Nadu, Karunanidhi felt it prudent to stay away from the ministry-making exercise.