Chennai:
Reaffirming Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's support for a non-communal party for the nation's development, party chief M Karunanidhi yesterday indicated present ally Congress alone seemed to fit the bill and said he wanted to prevent Bhartiya Janata Party from coming to power at the Centre.
In his address to the members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's General Council there, Karunanidhi said he was aware of their thought process about Congress' role in his daughter Kanimozhi and party colleague and former Telecom Minister A Raja being jailed for their alleged role in the 2G spectrum scam, but insisted that the future of the nation was the only concern.
"For me, Kanimozhi's grief is not big. Rather, I don't want to make the nation a coterie of communal elements. I won't allow minorities to be hunted like they were in Gujarat," he said in an apparent reference to the anti-Muslim violence in that state following the Godhra train carnage in 2002.
"How can I create an atmosphere for the Bhartiya Janata Party (candidate) to become Prime Minister? So what is the alternative? No other party has a candidate for the post. Among the friends and parties, it is only Congress which does not allow Communalism and practices rational thinking," he said.
He however said he was not batting for Congress, but for progressive vision, welfare of minorities and the poor and downtrodden.
"I am not saying this to put the Congress in the saddle as they have not done us any great favour. I would even extend my support to someone from Punjab who wishes to put the nation in the path of development," he said adding he wanted to keep the Bhartiya Janata Party at bay.
He recalled that his party had gone ahead to fight last year's civic polls by itself and not taking Congress along.
Claiming that some "Brahmin friends in Delhi" were working towards making his archrival and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief J Jayalalithaa the next Prime Minister, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam patriarch said he was not bothered about this.
"Let anyone become the Prime Minister. But if one looks at which party will put the nation in the path of communist, socialist growth, and if Bhartiya Janata Party comes to power, one cannot forget that another Babri mosque demolition could happen," he said.