“DMK fighting for T.N. rights on Cauvery issue’’

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam considers the Cauvery imbroglio as an issue of the Tamil Nadu people and not that of a political party, said party president M. Karunanidhi in Tiruvarur on Friday.

Campaigning for A.K.S. Vijayan and T. R. Baalu, party candidates for Nagapattinam and Thanjavur parliamentary constituencies, he said that the party had not used the Cauvery issue to score over another party. “When a house is in flames, everyone will try to douse it. Likewise, on issues like the Cauvery, all parties should join together and fight. The DMK is a party that continuously fought for the rights of Tamil Nadu on the issue”, Mr. Karunanidhi said.

On the Sri Lanka issue, he said that he had been imprisoned three times for fighting for the cause of the island Tamils. “We have taken up the issue with the Centre many times. I have written a lot of letters to the Prime Minister”, he said.

“Not after PM post’’

Earlier campaigning in Chidambaram for Thol.Thirumavalavan, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi candidate for the Chidambaram parliamentary constituency, Mr. Karunanidhi said that the DMK had created Prime Ministers and never aspired for the post. Political experts are fully aware of this fact, he observed.

He said certain leaders at the State and national levels were proclaiming themselves to be the next Prime Minister. But, the DMK had never projected anybody for the post.

Now the time has come to elect the right person to the post, he added.

Campaigns for MNMK

In Mayiladuthurai, seeking votes for alliance candidate Haider Ali of Manidha Neya Makkal Katchi (MNMK) on Friday, Mr. Karunanidhi spoke about the traditional association of the Dravidian movement and the Islamic movement in the State.