Senior Congress leader and Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram on Saturday pleaded for an assurance from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader, M. Karunanidhi, that the latter will not support a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Narendra Modi after the Lok Sabha polls.
Mr. Chidambaram, speaking at a public meeting in Chennai on Saturday evening, urged Mr. Karunanidhi to openly declare that MPs of the DMK “will not support” a BJP government, led by Mr. Modi. He reminded the DMK that it took a decision to “never again ally” with the BJP when it quit the National Democratic Alliance in 2004.
The Congress leader alleged that the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) was the ‘B Team’ of the BJP. Post-elections, the party would back a Narendra Modi-led dispensation at the Centre, he predicted. The AIADMK chose to snap ties with the Left as the BJP was irked by such an arrangement, Chidambaram remarked.
Earlier in the day, speaking on the sidelines of a function at Kalayarkoil in Sivaganga district, Mr. Chidambaram broke his silence on the issue of him seeking re-election to Parliament from Sivaganga.
Asked about speculations that he would opt out this time in favour of his son, Karti Chidambaram, the senior Congress leader said, “There cannot be two candidates. There can be only one candidate and whoever be the candidate, I will be the candidate.”
The Union Minister refused to clarify further, saying, “what is there to clarify”. Mr. Karti Chidambaram, who was walking behind his father, also declined to make any comment.
Mr. Chidambaram, a seven-time winner from Sivaganga, also declined to respond about few other senior Congress leaders from Tamil Nadu including his Cabinet colleague, G.K. Vasan and former TNCC President, K.V. Thangabalu opting out of the poll contest this time.
Interestingly, another former Union Minister, E.V.K.S. Elangovan is keen to contest the Lok Sabha poll from Tiruppur constituency this time, more so with the Congress going it alone. Another former TNCC President, M. Krishnaswamy, on the other hand, said he had requested the Congress high command to allot his sitting seat Arani, to his son Vishnu Prasad.
