New Delhi:
The Congress, which has seen a gradual depletion in the list of its political allies, has some reason to cheer. M
Karunanidhi's DMK, which left the UPA in 2013 after accusing the Centre of failing to protect the interests of Sri Lankan Tamils, today said that it would be willing to back a Congress-led government after the Lok Sabha polls beginning next month, if the Congress repents and turns back to "secular credentials." (
DMK withdrawing support: History could turn full circle)
"Tomorrow if the same Congress people repent and say they would turn to secularism, not supporting communal forces, then the DMK would support them, not for votes but to help them to destroy the evil they face. We shall forgive them and grant public pardon without remembering their ingratitude," Mr Karunanidhi said in Chennai this evening.
The DMK patriarch's comments have come as a surprise to many as it had rejected Congress' pleas for a seat-sharing deal in Tamil Nadu for the coming election, and had gone ahead by releasing a list of 34 candidates earlier this month. It had fielded S Durairaj from Sivaganga, the seat held by union finance minister P Chidambaram in the 15th Lok Sabha, indicating a formal rupture in DMK-Congress ties. (
No tie-up with Congress for 2014, says Karunanidhi: sources)
The two parties had contested the 2009 general election together, and had walked away with 26 of the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu. The DMK's share was 18, while the Congress won eight seats.