Congress strikes deal with DMK, crisis over

(Reuters) - The Congress party struck a deal on Tuesday with the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) in a row over seat-sharing in the Tamil Nadu elections, ending days of jitters over the stability of a government already hit by a series of crises.

The decision by the DMK is a respite for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as he battles a series of corruption scandals as well as inflation problems, which have already weakened his government.

The DMK, which had planned to quit Singh’s council of ministers, said it would remain in the coalition following the election deal.

“The agreement has been reached. We are very happy about it,” the DMK chief M. Karunanidhi told reporters in Chennai where the party is based.