Chennai: Congress state unit on Wednesday regretted main opposition party DMDK`s decision to boycott the Presidential polls and asserted that both the party and Centre had acted and sought its support for Congress nominee Pranab Mukherjee.
Responding to DMDK founder and Opposition leader in the Assembly Vijayakant`s statement that the Centre and its alliance partners had "deceived" the state`s voters, TNCC President B S Gnanadesikan said both his party and the Central government had voiced their concerns, whether on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue or other inter-state matters.
"As for the Lankan Tamils issue, Colombo did not pay heed not only to India`s demand for a ceasefire against terrorism but by other countries also. Congress` state unit vehemently demanded for India`s vote against Sri Lanka in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and Centre supported the vote," he said in a statement.
The state unit had taken "very tough stand" vis-a-vis Mullaperiyar row involving Kerala, he said. "Therefore the attitude of being ignorant about who becomes the President is not good. Vijayakant should back the candidature of Finance Minister Mukherjee, who is a great Parliamentarian and well-respected human being who seems to have earned the backing of opposition parties also," he said.
Vijayakant, whose party has 29 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly, had announced boycotting the presidential polls, saying Centre had failed Tamil Nadu on key issues. PTI