H D Deve Gowda calls on Karunanidhi, recalls Kalaignar role in making him PM

Chennai: Janata Dal (Secular) chief H.D. Deve Gowda visited ailing DMK president M Karunanidhi at a hospital here on Friday and recalled the support of the nonagenarian leader in making him the Prime Minister in 1996. "He (Karunanidhi) was also responsible for making me the Prime Minister in 1996 and I cannot forget it," he told reporters after visiting Mr Karunanidhi at Kauvery Hospital.

Lauding Mr Karunanidhi for serving the people of Tamil Nadu as Chief Minister for five terms, he said the DMK chief had also played a major role in providing a stable government at the Centre. "All the coalition governments (at the Centre) stood on his support," he said. He was referring to coalition governments headed by Atal Behari Vajpayee, Dr Manmohan Singh and himself in the past, to which the DMK had then lent support.

The former PM said he prayed for Mr Karunanidhi's speedy recovery, long life and good health and described him as the country's senior most leader. “The DMK patriarch should 'cross a century and serve the people of the nation," he said.