Manmohan Singh has the strong backing of several regional parties to become prime minister for a second time after the Lok Sabha polls, Union Home Minister P Chidambram said in Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu on Monday.
Addressing party workers at Sivaganga, from where he is contesting, Chidambram claimed that the Congress's prime ministerial candidate was backed by regional parties, including Rashtriya Janata Dal, Nationalist Congress Party, Samajwadi Party, Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi.
"The most important thing is identifying the candidate for prime ministership. We have done that and we have good backing for Manmohan Singh," he said.
Moreover, the Congress had emerged 'stronger' in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Kerala, Rajasthan and Orissa after the change in political scenario and could get up to 180 seats, he said. He added that the Congress was contesting in 420 seats in 30 states, while the Bharatiya Janata Party had fielded 350 candidates.
The BJP had weakened in Andhra Pradesh, where it lost the support of Telugu Desam Party, in West Bengal it did not have the support of Trinamool Congress and in Orissa it lost its key ally Biju Janata Dal, he said.
"It was only due to Kaliyuga Dharma that even small parties were stating that they have a right to claim prime ministership for their leaders," he said in an apparent reference to some of the leaders of the Third Front.
Seat-sharing talks between the Congress and the DMK was completed in Tamil Nadu "within an hour and the name of the seats to be contested was decided in just five minutes the next day," he said.
The Congress wanted to continue the alliance with the DMK as All India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi had stated "We should not break the alliance dharma," Chidambram said. He said the Congress was strong in Tamil Nadu and that was the reason why All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Jayalalithaa had sent emissaries to the party.
Chidambram pointed out that in Tamil Nadu, those parties that had allied with the Congress had always won, and ridiculed the AIADMK alliance saying that it was 'dragging' the seat-sharing talks.
Taking a dig at the Pattali Makkal Katchi, he said, "There were parties who remain in the government for four years and 11 months and some days and then join the other alliance. The parties who joined AIADMK alliance are a bundle of contradictions," he said.
He added that it was clear that the AIADMK was 'not serious' about Lok Sabha polls.
The party's wall writings said, please vote for the candidate of 'Nalaya Muthalvar' (Tomorrow's Chief Minister). "What is the relevance of the chief minister in the Lok Sabha polls? They (AIADMK) are bothered only about the Tamil Nadu assembly elections," he said.
Earlier, he unveiled the statue of 'Kamban Adippodi' S Ganesan, freedom fighter and founder of Karaikudi Kamban Kalagam, on the occasion of his centenary celebrations at Kamban Manimandapam.
