Talking to newspersons here after releasing the party manifesto, DMK President M Karunanidhi gave enough indications the party was not averse to sharing power with its allies, if it failed to secure majority on its own in the hustings.

''It is her view,'' was his cryptic reply when asked to comment on Ms Jayalalithaa firmly ruling out the possibility of coalition government in the state.

Mr Karunanidhi said the party would release the list of candidates in a day or two. It was taking time, because the party intended to come out with a ''quality list,'' he said.

On Ms Jayalalithaa's remarks that the May eight elections would be the last time the AIADMK will face its traditional enemy, the DMK, he said ''this showed their political culture.'' Stating Ms Jayalalithaa had also said she would settle the traditional rivalry with the DMK during the elections, the DMK leader said even historians had referred about the traditional rivalry between the Aryans and Dravidians and his mentor Anna had also penned a book on this.

Initially the book titled ''Arya Maaiyayai'' (The myth of Aryans) was banned, but subsquently released when MGR was the Chief Minister, he said.

On Ms Jayalalithaa launching a tirade against the Election Commission (EC) for halting several ongoing government programmes citing Model Code of Conduct, Mr Karunanidhi said the Commission owed a reply to the charge.

Refusing to be drawn into the controversy, he said the EC was an independent body and when someone tried to cast aspersions on it and attribute motives for its act, it was for the Commission to react.

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