Chennai: Asserting that DMK had the capability to face the polls with its existing local allies, party president M Karunanidhi on Tuesday said there was no setback for his Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) in the absence of a national party in the combine.
"No. There is no setback," was his response to a question during a media interaction following the release of DMK's manifesto for the April 24 Lok Sabha polls.
DMK had shut the door on its former ally Congress, with whom it snapped ties over the Sri Lankan Tamils' issue in March last and spurned offers for revival of ties from the Sonia Gandhi-led party.
DMK on Monday announced candidates for 35 seats, leaving five to its allies - VCK (2) and one each for MMK, IUML and Puthiya Tamizhagam.
Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha seats and neighbouring Puducherry one. Evading a direct response to CPI's announcement that it would not align with his party for the polls in the wake of the two Left parties' breaking away from the AIADMK alliance, Karunanidhi said, "I didn't read today's papers," and that he had directly proceeded to this press conference.
He said he did not expect any more allies to come into the DPA fold in the present circumstances. When pointed out that BJP and Congress were projecting its leaders Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi for the Prime Minister's post respectively and asked who would be his party's choice, the leader quipped, "It will be one who is not them."
The multi-cornered electoral battle in Tamil Nadu will benefit the people, he said.
Earlier, releasing his party's manifesto, he said it contained DMK's ‘progressive thoughts’ and had various proposals, including implementation of Sethusamudram Project, Sri Lankan Tamils' welfare, quota in the private sector and abolition of death penalty.
While vowing to redeem Katchatheevu, an islet off Tamil Nadu coast ceded to Lanka by India in 1976, DMK also promised to work for resettlement of Lankan refugees in India, after ascertaining their willingness. Citing the examples of Karnataka and Kerala, DMK promised to include the fishing community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list and to create a separate Ministry at the Centre to protect their interests and threats from other countries.
As for the marginalised and minorities, DMK said it was for 30 per cent reservation for women in central government jobs, proper implementation of reservation in PSUs for the differently-abled, recognition of transgenders as third gender and expansion of self-respect (inter-caste) marriages and Periyar 'Samathuvapuram' (an all caste residential settlement) across the country.
DMK also promised to press the Centre to make official languages of all states as Centre's official languages and further press for making Tamil as the court language in the Madras High Court. The Karunanidhi-led party also sought inter-linking of rivers across the country.
In tune with its chief Karunanidhi's stance, the party also vowed the abolish capital punishment, like 150 nations of the world.
DMK, which is also contesting in the neighbouring Union Territory of Puducherry, said it would fight for full-fledged statehood to the erstwhile French colony.
