The BJP has welcomed DMK chief M Karunanidhi’s ‘praise’ of Narendra Modi but ruled out any tie-up with the Dravidian party.
The BJP’s national executive member L Ganesan said his party had come a long way since deciding against a tie-up with either the DMK or AIADMK. “We wanted to form an alternative alliance and we are engaged in that.”
Ganesan said the DMK chief had spoken the “truth” but rejected any political implications in it. While not discounting a post-poll alliance with the DMK outright, he said the speculation was ‘hypothetical’.
Other senior BJP leaders like State vice-president H Raja and national secretary Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan saw the comments as a strong indication of a growing change in the perception among political parties towards Modi.
According to Raja, the remarks showed the respect that one political leader had for another. “For instance, Ram Vilas Paswan was the first to quit NDA and now he has returned to our fold,” he pointed out.
On the question of a possible tie-up with the DMK, he said that after price rise, corruption was the most important issue in people’s minds. “Earlier, Bofors symbolised corruption. Now, it is the 2G scam, in which Congress-DMK are involved,” he said, in an indirect response.
Describing the DMK leader’s remarks as a “healthy development”, Tamilisai said it would be wrong to attribute any motive to them. “Any remarks made during elections are viewed from a poll angle,” she rued.