)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday said it is grateful for the vote of confidence shown for its prime ministerial candidate Narandra Modi by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and former Tamil Nadu chief Minister M.Karunanidhi.
Talking to ANI, BJP leader Balbir Punj said: "Karunanidhi is a respected senior leader. The BJP is grateful to him for expressing his opinion on Modi. Modi's style of administration has got lot of applause all over the world."
Punj was reacting to Karunanidhi's praise of Modi on Thursday.
In an interview to an English daily, the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu had described Modi as as a "good person", an able administrator, and also did not rule out a second honeymoon with the BJP in 2014.
Responding to a perception that a Narendra Modi wave is sweeping the country, Karunanidhi said: "My personal opinion is that Modi is a good person and has taken much care about the development of his state (Gujarat). Though the media speaks about a Modi wave after the assembly polls in four states, I feel the BJP always had good support in those states (Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan)."
He further said that Modi "has proved his capabilities as an administrator in Gujarat where the people have elected him repeatedly."
However, he added, that it was for the voter to decide whether he was fit to be next prime minister of India.
On his party's ties with the Congress Party, which are at an abysmal low in the wake of the lack of support from the UPA-II Government to DMK leaders at the height of the 2G scam, the Sri Lankan Tamil issue and the Indian fishermen's plight vis-a-viz the Sri Lankan Navy, Karunanidhi said: " I have not moved as closely with Rahul as I have with Rajiv Gandhi. It is the (Congress) party's right to assess his leadership qualities."
He also said that it was for the voter decide who was the best leader on the national scale - Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi.
Responding to the development of the AIADMK passing 16 resolutions on various issues related to the weak responses of the UPA-II regime, and also for its announcement that it would like to see their leader J.Jayalalitha sitting in the Prime Minister's chair in New Delhi, Punj said: " Every party has their own aspirations. If the AIADMK thinks their leader is capable enough, if they think they can have a shot at the PM, good luck for them."
It maybe recalled that on Thursday, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had predicted that the party would become a "Red Fort Express," embarking on the victory path towards the Red Fort in Delhi, meaning that the party should be in power at the Centre.
Jayalalithaa told members of the party general council that "people of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are there to wave the green flag. I would be the engine driver. You [workers] would ensure that the train and its passengers - candidates of the AIADMK - would reach Red Fort in Delhi safely and victoriously. This would certainly happen."
She also used the occasion to come down heavily on the United Progessive Alliance Government at the Centre, she reiterated her charges against the Centre on a host of issues concerning the state and said the Union government had been 'vindictive' towards Tamil Nadu.
Terming the Central government as "anti-people government," she also criticised it for "being ineffective and weak" on a range of subjects.
She maintained that only if the AIADMK emerged victorious in the Lok Sabha elections, would the country's progress and security be assured.
She said the theme of her party during the poll campaign would be "peace, prosperity, progress."
Earlier, the party adopted a total of 16 resolutions. It pulled up the Union government on the issues such as participation at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo last month, proposed training to officers of the Sri Lankan Navy and attacks on fishermen of Tamil Nadu.
