The feud between the United Progressive Alliance partners in Tamil Nadu reached Delhi on Wednesday, but the Pattali Makkal Katchi made it clear that this would not affect its support to the Manmohan Singh government in the trust vote on July 22.
A high-level PMK delegation met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Shivraj Patil and apprised them of the situation arising out of the arrest of party leader J Guru in the state under the National Security Act.
PMK leader and Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss told reporters that the party demanded immediate release of Guru by revoking his detention under NSA.
Asked whether the meeting with the prime minister just a few days before the trust vote was some kind of pressure on the Centre, he said, "This has nothing to do with the confidence motion."
"This has absolutely nothing to do with the confidence motion. We have completely assured the Central government of our support on the nuclear deal. In our party resolution, we have unanimously stated that we will support the Congress-ledgovernment at the Centre," Ramadoss said.
Asked about the response of the prime minister and the home minister on the arrest of Guru, a close confidante of PMK chief S Ramadoss, he said the Central leaders assured to talk to the state government and "speedily implement the rectification".
Guru, whose inflammatory speech led the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to snap its four-year-long association with the PMK, was recently arrested in connection with a case relating to attempt to murder. He was detained under the NSA on July 10.
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