Chennai:
Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Congress, and M Karunanidhi addressed a rally together this evening in Chennai.
Mrs Gandhi stressed that her party continues its partnership with Mr Karunaidhi's DMK because of its emphasis on "inclusive development."
"We will continue to look upon him (Karunanidhi) for his counsel as his contribution towards Tamil Nadu is unparalleled," said Mrs Gandhi.
Tamil Nadu votes on April 13.
Mrs Gandhi said that if the Congress-DMK coalition comes to power, it will protect the state's fishermen - lately, the issue of fishermen being shot by the Sri Lankan navy has been a headline in Tamil Nadu politics.
"We are deeply pained that some lives of fishermen have been lost. We have been assured that there would be no firing in the future and we will continue to work to ensure this commitment is met," she said.
She also said, "In our neighbourhood, there is no issue closer to our heart than the Sri Lankan Tamils' issue. There was significant progress last year and India had committed and provided large sums of money for their rehabilitation."
The marriage between the DMK and the Congress has been an uncomfortable one lately - DMK's A Raja is currently in jail, for allegedly running a gigantic spectrum scam during his term as Telecom Minister. Estimated to have cost the government 1.76 lakh crores by the government's auditor, the scam is being investigated by the CBI and monitored by the Supreme Court.
In recent weeks, the inquiry has led to Mr Karunanidh's family. A 200-crore kickback to former Telecom Minister Raja from one of the telecom companies he colluded with was allegedly paid to a TV channel owned by the DMK chief's wife and daughter, Kanimozhi, who is a Rajya Sabha MP. She was interrogated by the CBI in Chennai in March.
Mr Raja, a popular Dalit leader, was also known for his proximity to Kanimozhi.
(
With PTI inputs)