Kanimozhi invites Sonia for Karunanidhi's birthday celebrations

Amid talk of opposition unity ahead of the Presidential elections, DMK leader Kanimozhi on Saturday met Congress President Sonia Gandhi here and invited her for her father and DMK chief M. Karunanidhi's 94th birthday celebrations in Chennai.

Karunanidhi's birthday on June 3 may witness a litany of leaders from opposition parties, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D. Raja, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan attending the function.

She ruled out the function having any "political agenda", but maintained that if opposition parties come together then it will emerge as a "stronger voice".

"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 NewsX.

"Definitely this is a meeting of a lot of leaders. But, this is not bringing anything else together. It is just to bring people together with good wishes for my father's birthday."

"People are talking to each other about the President's election. but this is not an agenda in this function," she said when asked if the function was meant to be a platform to showcase opposition unity.

Asked if the opposition candidate will be able to make the cut in the election, Kanimozhi said: "I don't know. I don't think there has been any decision which has been reached. So let us wait. It's a little to early to answer these questions."

"There are some important issues like in Tamil Nadu where we are opposing the NEET examinations. If the opposition comes together it will be a stronger voice on particular issues. But, where it is going to go, is a little too early to comment about it," said Kanimozhi to a question if the opposition unity is necessary.

She also said that invitations have been extended to those who were closely associated with Karunanidhi.

"People who have been associated with him and who had long association with him have been invited, those who know him personally," she said.

--IANS

sid/rn