Chennai: All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief election commissioner and senior Congress leader Ram Niwas Mirdha on April 15 said his party favoured a single party rule at the Centre after the next Lok Sabha polls.

He told reporters that being a national party with presence in all states, it was not for a coalition government at the Centre.

He said the Congress opposed the "mid-night" arrests of politicians and journalists in Tamil Nadu and "disapproved" of Tamil Nadu government's action on this.

Asked whether the party would support the demand of some Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu for invoking Article 356 to dismiss the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government, he said the use of the article was a "very serious matter" and it should be used only in specific cases.

Asked whether the Congress endorsed the demand of the Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPM) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) should quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), he said it was for the DMK to decide about.

On setting up of a rebel candidate by the "I" group in Kerala for the Rajya Sabha poll held on April 14, he said the high command was contemplating action against those who were responsible for fielding a candidate against the official nominees, but it would not take any action in haste. Two observers sent by AICC president Sonia Gandhi to Kerala had submitted their report to her, he said.

He said his party did not think of any alliance with any party in Tamil Nadu and was interested in strengthening the Congress at grassroot level. After the merger of Tamil Manila Congress (TMC) with it, Congress was a cohesive unit in the state, he said.

PTI