DMK treasurer Durai Murugan on Thursday said he could only pity the DMDK leaders who “were issuing contradictory statements” about approaching the DMK for an alliance for the Lok Sabha elections at the eleventh hour “trying to save their face”.

Talking to reporters, the DMK leader said that he did not know the two DMDK functionaries (Elangovan and Murugesan) who had come to meet him a day earlier. “They came here and showed interest in an alliance. I told them that they had come late and the reasons they said was not convincing. I don’t know both of them personally,” the DMK leader insisted. “If they had not come for alliance talks, they could have told this to the media on Wednesday itself,” Mr. Durai Murugan said adding that they were being forced to issue the statement as they were desperate to join the AIADMK alliance.

Asked about Mr. Sudhish’s comments about his remarks on party leadership, the DMK treasurer said that Sudhish was a friend and he would lose the respect he has for him if he makes such statements. “The DMDK is totally frustrated. I can only pity them,” he said.