A day after he endorsed Congress president Rahul Gandhi for the post of the prime minister of the nation, Dravida Munntera Kazhagam (DMK) chief MK Stalin on Tuesday further substantiated his statement.

"Rahul Gandhi was responsible for the victory of the Congress party in three BJP bastion states. We require a strong leader to coordinate and unite democratic forces. He is fully capable. That is why I proposed his name. I am confident our allies would understand," Stalin said.

The DMK chief argued that Rahul's initiative ought to be strengthened to extricate the country from communalism and to establish democracy.

Stalin made a strong pitch for the Congress president at an event where he unveiled the statue of late DMK chief Karunanidhi in presence of national leaders.

However, the idea mooted by Stalin did not find many takers. Leaders of the Opposition parties said a decision on prime minister would be taken only after the elections.

"Any announcement on the prime ministerial candidate right now would be premature as it would divide the Opposition camp," a senior Trinamool leader said.

The Samajwadi Party and the Communist Party of India (CPI) also red flagged the statement and said the mahagathbandhan, and only that, will make the final decision.

Also read: TMC fumes at MK Stalin's Rahul for PM pitch, says this could harm Opposition unity

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