With United Oppn, Stalin Pitches For Rahul Gandhi as PM Candidate

Stalin made the address to Opposition leaders and DMK cadre at the unveiling of the Karunanidhi statue.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi is being presented a sword by DMK President MK Stalin at a public meeting after unveiling a life-size bronze statue of late Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi at YMCA ground.

(Photo: PTI)

DMK chief MK Stalin suggested Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s name for the PM candidate to stand opposite the BJP in the 2019 general elections, in a speech at the unveiling of the statue of former Tamil Nadu CM Karunanidhi in Chennai on Sunday, 16 December 2018.

A united Opposition arrived in Chennai for the unveiling of a statue of former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi on 16 December.

Months after his death, a statue of the late leader was unveiled at Anna Arivalayam, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) headquarters in Chennai on Sunday.

‘We Will Stand United and Defeat the BJP’: Rahul Gandhi

In the run up to the event, Karunanidhi's son and the newly-elected party president MK Stalin had extended invitations to political heavyweights in a show of Opposition unity against the AIADMK government in the state and the BJP at the Centre.

Former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi passed away on 7 August 2018, after a prolonged battle with illness.(Photo: @INCIndia/Twitter)

“While Karunanidhi <i>ji </i>defended institutions of this country, today we’ve a govt that is attacking the voice, culture, and institutions of Tamil Nadu and our country. We aren’t going to allow the destruction of the idea of India. We are going to stand together and defeat the BJP.”

Rahul Gandhi, Congress President

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who was personally invited by Stalin attended the event accompanied by son and Congress President Rahul Gandhi.(Photo: @INCIndia/Twitter)

The statue unveiling ceremony is a pivotal opportunity for the grand anti-BJP alliance that has been in the making ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

The Opposition leaders put on a grand show of unity, by “those who have been opposed to the government of Prime Minister Modi” to send a message, even as the election season rolls in.

Signs of Oppn Unity Ahead of 2019 General Elections?

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who was instrumental in bringing the alliance together, was also present at the event along with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanaswamy were also invited to attend the inauguration.

According to a report in The New Indian Express, the leaders will be attending a public meet at the YMCA grounds in Nandanam following the unveiling of the statue on Sunday, even as there is the likelihood of an overcast sky across the city.

With MK Stalin being increasingly vocal about the BJP and its 'strong-arming' of autonomous institutions, several leaders arriving at his invitation is also a shot in the arm for the party that is yet to see electoral success under his leadership.

The DMK had also extended invitations to leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Janata Dal (Secular), Nationalist Congress Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the Aam Aadmi Party.

Many Oppn Leaders Have Reservations Against Naming Anyone as PM Candidate: Sources

A number of opposition leaders are understood to have reservations over naming any prime ministerial nominee for the opposition alliance for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, sources in the opposition camp said.

"A number of opposition leaders are understood to have reservations against naming anyone as the prime ministerial face. The SP, TDP, BSP, TMC, and NCP disagree with Stalin's announcement. It is premature. The PM name is to be decided only after the Lok Sabha results," a top opposition leader said.

This is DMK’s second grand show this year. In August, a memorial meet for the late Karunanidhi witnessed several political leaders arrive in Chennai, calling upon Stalin to take on the mantle and carry forward his father’s legacy.

According to reports, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan and state leaders of national parties are also set to be in attendance.

M Karunanidhi passed away on 7 August 2018 at Kaveri Hospital in Chennai following a prolonged illness. He was 94.

(With inputs from The News Minute.)