'No secret ties': Stalin on Rajnath at DMK event

The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam does not have any need for secret ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party merely because it invited Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to release a commemorative coin marking the birth centenary of its leader M Karunanidhi, DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Monday.

The party was strongly moored to its principles and its stance on "whether to oppose or extend support" was based on DMK's ideology, Stalin said a day after Singh released the Rs 100 coin of the five-time chief minister.

At the event held in Chennai on Sunday, the Defence Minister lauded Karunanidhi as one of the "most revered leaders of the country, a titan of Indian politics, an able administrator, an advocate for social justice, and a cultural stalwart."

"Just because we invited the Central Minister, there's speculation that we have ties with the BJP. There's no need for us (the DMK) to have a secret pact with the BJP," Stalin said speaking after solemnising the marriage of Dileepan, son of DMK Thiruvottiyur MLA K P Shankar, with Vishali, in Chennai.

He recalled that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had once said that both the DMK and its leader M Karunanidhi's opposition or support on any issue was ideological-based.

The chief minister said he was pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed by Singh's praises on Kalaignar (as Karunanidhi is affectionately addressed). "I was so happy that I could not sleep last night as Mr Rajnath Singh's honest remarks about Kalaignar came straight from his heart," Stalin added.

Singh had insisted upon visiting Kalaignar's memorial in the city before releasing the coin, he said.