"Country needs true secular govt"

DMK President M Karunanidhi said the country needed a "truly secular" Government at the Centre for all round growth.

DMK President M Karunanidhi on Wednewsday said the country needed a "truly secular" Government at the Centre for all round growth and appealed to the voters to back the Congress and its allies for installing such a regime under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi.

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Campaigning for Congress candidate Manishankar Aiyar in Mayiladuthurai in the heart of Kavery delta, he said "Only a secular government can ensure growth. To form a secular government headed by Sonia Gandhi, vote for the Congress."

In a brief five-minute speech from his campaign vehicle, the former Tamil Nadu chief minister showered praise on Aiyar, saying he was a man of 'high calibre' and his services were very much needed for the development of the constituency.

Surprisingly, Karunanidhi made no mention of the Kavery issue in his speech.

As a huge crowd heard him, the DMK chief said in the past nine days of his campaign he had been seeing lakhs of people with hopes on their faces attending his meetings.

Earlier, he addressed roadside meetings at Sirkali and Vaitheeswarankoil on way to Mayildauthurai from Chidambaram and was greeted by large gatherings all along the route.