No talks with BJP; alliance with Cong stays: Stalin

DMK President M K Stalin on Tuesday said he was “ready to quit politics” if Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan proves her claims that the Opposition Leader was in talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the saffron party for a tie-up after the

Lok Sabha election results are being announced on May 23.

Stalin’s hard-hitting statement came hours after Tamilisai Soundararajan claimed that the DMK President was changing his colours constantly by talking to three different alliance at the same time – Congress, TRS and BJP. She had even claimed that Stalin was in touch with Narendra Modi for a tie-up after “realising that the BJP” will retain power at the Centre after the polls.

“Such games are quite common for the BJP which is staring at defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. I am sad at the way Tamilisai Soundararajan who was born in a reputed political family has reduced herself to propagating lies. It was the DMK that first proposed Congress President Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial face of the alliance,” the DMK President said in the statement.

Stalin recalled that it was he who criticised Modi to the core by calling him a “sadist” and “dictator” and openly announced that he should not return as Prime Minister of the country after the polls. The BJP, which arm-twisted the AIADMK to ally with it in Tamil Nadu, is propagating “such lies” on the DMK to drag the party to its side.

“If Tamilisai Soundararajan or Modi prove that I am in touch with the BJP, I am ready to quit politics. At the same time, if they fail to prove the claims, are they ready to quit politics?” Stalin asked.

He also said the BJP chief made the remarks only to bring about a confusion among minority voters in the four by-elections scheduled to be held on May 19. “The DMK is clear that Narendra Modi should not become Prime Minister again. It is also clear that a secular government should be installed at the Centre and Rahul Gandhi should be the Prime Minister. Our efforts will now only be doubled to achieve the goal,” the DMK chief said.

Tamilisai was responding to questions from journalists in Thoothukudi whether it is true that the DMK was talking to the BJP. “It is true. It is true. On one side the DMK is talking to Congress, on the other side with KCR and thirdly with the BJP. He is talking to Rahul, KCR and Modi,” she said. The AIADMK had also accused the DMK of opening back-channel talks with the BJP for a post-poll tie-up.