Speaking at a crowded rally in Tiruchirapally, 400 km south of here, Manmohan Singh took a very dignified stand, avoiding any rhetorical call - unlike Congress president sonia Gandhi who had earlier called upon people to "free Tamil Nadu from the clutches of the AIADMK rule".

Speaking late Thursday night at a rally here in the state capital, he claimed that when the devastating tsunami struck Tamil Nadu''s coast in December 2004, the "union government had provided much-needed help and relief worth Rs.60 billion".

He recalled the leadership provided by veteran leaders like C. Rajagopalichari and C. Annadurai in the early decades of the independent India, and said: "Only the DPA (Democratic Progressive Alliance of DMK and Congress) can provide such glorious leadership under M. Karunanidhi".

The prime minister commended the alliance''s leadership in the state saying it was a blend of "balanced political experience and dynamism of youth and outstanding ability".

He, however, criticised the J. Jayalalitha government for not doing enough to attract foreign investments in the state.

"India is making rapid progress in economic growth, showing a growth rate of 8 percent, and Tamil Nadu should get much more foreign investment than it is getting now. It should become the hub of the knowledge industry. Tamil Nadu deserves a visionary government," Manmohan Singh said.

"The DPA under Karunanidhi is best placed to deliver upon this vision," he said.

"If the UPA (United Progressive Alliance, at the national level) and the DPA work together, we can make Tamil Nadu the leading state in the country in terms of human development, prosperity, industrialisation, agricultural development and overall economic growth," he said.

"For better implementation of various welfare schemes of the central government, the DPA under Karunanidhi should be elected to power," he added.

The prime minister hoped that "as in the Lok Sabha elections, the people of Tamil Nadu will give a good verdict this time also".

The prime minister also reminded the state: "Tamil Nadu has now got an unprecedented representation in the union council of ministers."