M Karunanidhi, the nonagenarian chief of the DMK, sprang a surprise on Wednesday by congratulating and eulogising Narendra Modi, the country’s Prime Minister-designate. In a statement released to the media, the DMK chief referred to Modi’s speech to the nation immediately after his election as the BJP’s Parliamentary Party leader.
“His declaration that his Government would be dedicated to the poor, youth, women and villages of the country deserves congratulation. This nation expects you to eagerly realise this great dream. On behalf of my party, I convey my best wishes to you for a happy and satisfying tenure as the Prime Minister to fulfil the aspirations of all sections of this vast country,” Karunanidhi said.
Interestingly, Karunanidhi had declared during the election campaign speeches that Narendra Modi has no place in Tamil Nadu. “I do not see any Modi wave other than the waves of Bay of Bengal,” Karunanidhi had said during his campaign meetings at Coimbatore and Madurai. Karunanidhi had also criticised Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK leader, for not criticising Modi during her campaign speeches.
The DMK patriarch, whose party failed to win even a single seat in any of the 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu, concluded his statement by appreciating and congratulating Modi for his humble beginnings. “It is really admirable that from a humble beginning in Gujarat, you have risen to the top position of India through your intelligence, hard work and sincere work,” said Karunanidhi.
The DMK’s high power committee is meeting on June 2 at Chennai to chalk out strategies to strengthen the party for the 2016 Assembly election. With Karunanidhi declaring that Alagiri is not his son, tempers have gone up in the residences of Dayalu Ammal, mother of Alagiri and Madurai’s Sree Sathyasai Colony residence of Alagiri.