NEW DELHI, July 14: The Dravida Munnetra Kazagham's (DMK) decision to withdraw its Ministers from the Gujral Government appears to be more of an expression of pique at being left out rather than a calculated strategy to precipitate a crisis in the United Front.

The move is being viewed as a means for the party to seek a better bargain for itself in the multi-party coalition where its electoral ally, the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), has managed to do better. Although allies for now, the two parties are potential future rivals in Tamil Nadu.

The bitterness had been building up for some time now. In the last round of expansion of the Union Council of Ministers, it was the DMK which got the worst deal. The TMC's representation went up by one when Jayanti Natarajan was inducted into the government. She also got a plum Ministry -- Civil Aviation. Gujral also conceded the Samajwadi Party's demands by moving Janeshwar Mishra from the lacklustre Water Resources Ministry to the high-profile Petroleum portfolio.

On the other hand, the DMK suffered badly. Gujral did not add any DMK member to his Cabinet but worse - foisted a Cabinet rank Minister above the party's T R Balu in the Petroleum Ministry. Balu until then was the man in charge in the Ministry though he had the Prime Minister above him.

Political circles feel that the DMK's move is targeted as much at Gujral as former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet.

They concede that party chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has not allowed his partymen to throw tantrums like the other United Front constituents to get what they wanted. Still, rewards had not come its way. In fact, so bitter was Karunanidhi that he is believed to have written to Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat expressing his desire to participate in a meeting of Chief Ministers convened by him some time back.

He was however told that it was not possible as it was a conclave of Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled States only.

The party is also cut up with Gowda and Surjeet for promoting their own agenda within the coalition.

In his statement in Chennai, Karunanidhi hinted as much when he said that ``it appears that some UF leaders are under the impression that it was an alliance forged for committing sati together.''

He also referred to the fact that his party and the CPI (M) were rivals in Tamil Nadu. There are reports that Gowda had tried to needle Karunanidhi after he openly came out in support of Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.