DMK president M. Karunanidhi rejected the suggestion that absence of a national party in the DMK alliance for the Lok Sabha polls was a setback. Talking to reporters after releasing the party election manifesto, Mr. Karunanidhi also made it clear that the DMK was not waiting for any political party to join the alliance.
Asked about the possibilities of the Congress joining the alliance, he said it was a hypothetical question. “I do not know why you are underestimating the Congress,” he quipped. Mr. Karunanidhi said a multi-cornered contest in the polls would benefit the Tamil Nadu people.
On who the DMK would project as the Prime Ministerial candidate since the BJP and the Congress had already declared Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi as their Prime Ministerial candidate, Mr. Karunanidhi said his party would opt for someone other than the two.
He also sought to play down the question whether people of Tamil Nadu would vote for Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who was presenting herself as a Prime Ministerial candidate.
“I do not know whether she is projecting herself as a Prime Ministerial candidate and if people of the State are ready to vote for her,” he said.
The DMK leader said his party had given more than 30 per cent seats to youth.
