Chennai: Amid reported moves by the opposition to put up a common candidate for the Presidential elections, DMK plans to bring Chief Ministers of anti-BJP parties on the same platform for the diamond jubilee celebrations of party chief M. Karunanidhi’s entry into the Assembly.
There is also optimism among the functionaries that Karunanidhi himself could make a brief appearance on the stage along with top national leaders and Chief Ministers. The DMK has not decided the exact date of the function, but party sources said the function would be conducted a few days before or after June 3, the 94th birthday of the veteran leader.
Coming just before the Presidential elections, the planned move to bring major opposition Chief Ministers like Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, Amarinder Singh and Pinarayi Vijayan may be a precursor to an anti-saffron alliance at the national level similar to the formations of National Front and United Front.
A senior DMK leader said, "The move to bring the Chief Ministers on one platform is at the planning level. We are yet to decide on the list of leaders to be invited to the function. When the National Front and United Front were formed, all the non-Congress and non-BJP parties agreed to gather on a common platform. But, now we have some restrictions in bringing all the non-BJP parties together since some of the opposition parties are opposed to each other also. For example, it is not known if Left leaders like Pinarayi Vijayan will share stage with Mamata Banerjee".
Despite the huge victory in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is still about 20,000 to 25,000 votes short of majority in the electoral college for Presidential elections. The opposition parties like the Congress are reportedly trying to put up a common candidate against the BJP candidate, since it will be the only chance for them to defeat the BJP or at least put up an effective challenge for the saffron brigade.
One of the young functionaries was optimistic of Karunanidhi's presence in the stage along with the top national leaders. "Kalaignar himself may appear on the stage at least for a few minutes. "Kalaignar and top opposition leaders and Chief Ministers at the national level are certain to hog the national limelight, besides enthusing party cadre and functionaries", he said.
The DMK was behind the formation of National Front in 1989 and United Front in 1996. The National Front was launched at a function organised by he the DMK in Chennai. Besides, the Dravidian major was a key player in cobbling together the United Front in 1996 and it was in power for two years. After the rout in the 2014 Parliament elections, the DMK's role in national politics had dwindled drastically.
