DMK leader Kanimozhi meets Sonia

Amid hectic discussions between Opposition parties over fielding a candidate in the upcoming Presidential election, DMK leader M Kanimozhi met Congress president Sonia Gandhi here on Saturday.

The DMK leader came to invite Gandhi for a programme in Chennai to celebrate DMK chief M Karunanidhi’s 94th birthday.

Opposition sources said they are expecting DMK’s support for the Opposition’s candidate in the upcoming Presidential poll. “Kanimozhi met me earlier. I have also spoken to MK Stalin. We are hopeful that the DMK will support us,” said CPI leader D Raja.

Karunanidhi’s birthday celebration on June 3 is likely to attract many Opposition leaders. The DMK leadership has reached out to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan.

Kanimozhi maintained that the function will not have a “political agenda”, but the gathering of many Opposition leaders is bound to send a message of unity to the NDA camp.

“I came to invite other leaders from other parties also for the birthday celebrations. I brought a letter from our working president M.K. Stalin to be delivered to her and we discussed about that,” Kanimozhi told a news channel.

HTC