Nothing wrong in proposing Rahul for PM: Stalin

Reaffirming his endorsement for Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister, DMK President M K Stalin on Sunday said Opposition parties do not view his party’s stand as a “wrong decision” but have only announced that they will decide the leadership issue only after the elections.

As BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu questioned on why Stalin did not reiterate his party’s stand on the Prime Ministerial nominee at the mega rally organised by Trinamool Congress in Kolkata in West Bengal in which most parties said they will decide on the question of Prime Ministership only after the elections.

“When I proposed Rahul Gandhi’s name for Prime Minister, the media questioned the timing and sought to know why the announcement was made in the first place. But after the Kolkata meeting, the same media is seeking to know why I haven’t reiterated my position yesterday,” Stalin said, speaking after solemnising the wedding of the family member of Sholinganallur DMK MLA Arvind Ramesh.

The DMK President had proposed Gandhi for Prime Minister on December 16 when the Congress President and his mother Sonia Gandhi shared the stage with him after unveiling the statue of late DMK chief M Karunanidhi.

However, the BJP has been pointing out every now and then that there have been no takers for Stalin’s proposal as majority of the opposition parties, who have come together to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi by burying long-held differences, maintain that the leader of the alliance if it captures power will be announced after elections.

“It was DMK’s event and we said what we wanted to say. We reflected the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu by (proposing Rahul Gandhi for PM) on the day our leader Kalaignar’s (Karunanidhi’s) statue was unveiled. I have made the announcement on behalf of the DMK and please have the patience to wait and see whether my predictions come true,” the DMK chief said.

Every state has its own issues and political parties take decisions according to the political climate prevailing in their part of the country – in Tamil Nadu, the DMK felt it would be better to propose Rahul Gandhi and it was done.

“Opposition leaders in other states feel there is no need to announce (PM candidate) before elections. But no Opposition party leader told me yesterday that my action was wrong. No leader told me, all they said is my opinion was DMK’s stand and they will decide after elections. But some people (BJP) can’t even understand political nuances,” the DMK President said.

He also reiterated the need to “overthrow the BJP Government led by Modi” at the Centre and usher in change of administration both in New Delhi and in Tamil Nadu.