Talking to newsmen at his Gopalapuram residence and later at the party headquarters `Anna Arivalayam' here, a visibly-happy Karunanidhi said he had not discussed the matter with party general secretary and other leaders and the party had not yet taken any decision on the issue. He said he would be leaving for Delhi on Friday to take part in the meeting of NDA leaders.

Replying to a question, Karunanidhi, leader of the NDA in the State, indicated that it was open for the Bharatiya Janata Party to admit new parties into the alliance. When pressed further, he quipped: ``Are you ready (to join the NDA)?''

This assumed significance in the wake of speculations that the Telugu Desam Party in AndhraPradesh and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party in Maharastra are evincing interest in joining the NDA.

On the role to be played by the DMK at the national level, the Chief Minister, in an obvious dig at Jayalalitha, said his party would be sincere to the alliance and would not ``play games''. It would be firm in honouring commitments made in the NDA election manifesto, he added.

Asked whether the DMK would press for the implementation of any specific plan by the new government, Karunanidhi said such plans had already been included in the election manifesto. However, the DMK would strive to bring about a change in the country, he added.

The Chief Minister said he had telephoned Prime Minister A B Vajpayee and congratulated him on the NDA's victory at the National level. His Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu and Malaysian minister Dutto Samyvelu congratulated him (Karunanidhi) for the NDA's victory in Tamil Nadu.

On the poll outcome in the State, Karunanidhi said the Oppositionparties had launched a disinformation campaign that the DMK had become the enemy of the minorities by joining hands with the BJP, but the election results had proved that they were with the DMK.

Similarly, the election had also taught a lession to those who had tried to turn the Dalits and a particular community against the DMK, he said.

Dismissing a suggestion that the DMK was solely responsible for the NDA's victory in the State, he said it was a good team work and the credit for the victory should go to all the alliance partners.

The two basic issues -- Vajpayee's ability to provide a stable government and his effective handling of the Kargil crisis, highlighted by DMK during electioneering, had also paid rich dividends, he added.

Answering a question, the Chief Minister said though the break-up of the alliance with the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) led by G K Moopanar had not not affected the DMK's prospects, ``it is worrying that the TMC is not with us''.

On the possibility of a revival of theold ties between the two parties, he said that only the future would tell.