Karuna’s PC as PM remark causes row
WEDNESDAY, 02 JANUARY 2013 23:49 PNS | CHENNAI
The Congress-DMK relations suffered a major setback on Tuesday following M Karunanidhi's statement that Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram was the ideal Prime Ministerial candidate.
The Congress struck back on Tuesday with V Narayanasamy, minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office openly snubbing the DMK chief. "It is for the Congress President Sonia Gandhi to decide who is the Prime Ministerial candidate of the party. For we Congressmen, Rahul Gandhi is the leader," a visibly upset Narayanasamy told reporters on Tuesday.
Karunanidhi added that Chidambaram is known for his opposition to Jayalalithaa as he had revolted against the Congress High Command when it aligned with AIADMK in 1996.
Karunanidhi's statement as well as his known opposition to Rahul Gandhi has upset Sonia Gandhi. "In normal circumstances, Narayanasamy, a close confidante of the Congress President, does not call for a Press meet. The fact that he chose to speak to the media proves that it was at the instance of Sonia Gandhi he convened the media and lambasted, though indirectly, the DMK and Chidambaram," said a Congress leader in Tamil Nadu.
Narayanasamy had told a Tamil weekly that even if the DMK is not supporting the Union Government against the Kudankulam agitation, the AIADMK was extending all cooperation and that was sufficient. This reportedly infuriated Karunandhi who sought an explanation from Narayanasamy.
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