Cong tie-up needed only for Lok Sabha, Assembly polls: Karuna

Chennai, Sep 15: A day after he announced his party's decision to fight the local body polls sans the company of seven-year ally Congress, DMK chief M Karunanidhi today (Sep 15) said ties between the two parties would be required only at the time of Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

"The ties between the two parties at the time Lok Sabha and Assembly polls will not break and it will continue. We are on good terms with the Centre," Karunanidhi told reporters when asked whether his decision to go it alone for local body elections would affect DMK's relations with Congress.

Asked whether any Congress leader spoke to him after his announcement on Wednesday, he replied in the negative.

"We have already mentioned clearly in the statement. We have not said there is no relationship with Congress. There is no alliance for the Local Body Elections and DMK will contest alone was the only announcement I made," he said adding local body polls are based on people''s basic needs.

"There is no need to mix politics in this," he said.

In a statement issued last night announcing the said decision, Karunanidhi had held that DMK had been forging alliances with like-minded parties with the aim of ensuring a secular and progressive government at the Centre and a democratic rule at the State level.

PTI