Kanimozhi, daughter of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, took oath as a Member of the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, a function which saw warm ties between the DMK and the Congress in full display with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attending it.
Besides Karunanidhi, all Union ministers belonging to the party at the Centre were at hand to greet the 38-year-old poet-turned-politician when she became a member of the Upper House.
Kanimozhi, Tiruchi N Siva, another DMK member, as also Communist Party of India national secretary D Raja took oath in the chamber of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan.
Union Minister P Chidambaram and G K Vasan, also hailing from the state, Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Dasmunsi and Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president, were present on the occasion.
"I don't have to become the voice of the party at the Centre. There are lot of senior leaders of DMK to shoulder responsibilities. Let me go by own way", 38-year old Kanimozhi told reporters when asked whether she would become her party's voice at the Centre.
She replied in the same vein when asked whether she would become a minister at the Centre.
Reports had it that Kanimozhi could be made a Cabinet minister in the wake of the exit of Dayanidhi Maran from the Union Council of ministers and more importantly from DMK politics and the close inner circle.
She said she would take up issues like 33 per cent reservation for women.
