CHENNAI, Dec 2 (UNI) Prime minister AB Vajpayee is keen that the replacement in his cabinet for late union minister and DMK idoelogue Murasoli Maran must be from the DMK itself, BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu said today.
Talking to newspersons here after meeting DMK president M Karunanidhi and Maran's family members to convey his condolences, he said he had conveyed this to the DMK chief.
The prime minister had suggested to Karunanidhi to name someone from the DMK to take Maran's place in the NDA government at the centre, Naidu said.
After his meeting with Naidu at his Gopalapuram residence, Karunanidhi told reporters that the prime minister had talked to him in this regard over telephone yesterday.
"Mr Venkaiah Naidu has conveyed the same to me," he said, adding that he had informed Vajpayee that the DMK would soon take a decision on this.
The two leaders said no political issue was discussed at their meeting.
"We only talked about yesterday's Assembly polls (to four Northern states)," Karunanidhi said.
