The 'growing demand' for television news prompted the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 2006 to promise free colour television for the people of Tamil Nadu if the party comes to power in the assembly elections that year, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said on Monday.

"From the days of print media and radio, dissemination of news has reached the era of television, with people switching on television sets the moment they wake up to know what is happening in the world," he said after inaugurating Raj News, a 24-hour Tamil news channel from Raj Network Limited.

"Knowing well the importance of news, especially of the television genre, the DMK had decided to provide free colour televisions to economically poor people who does not have access to them," he said.

Karunanidhi claimed that political parties in other states started following DMK's initiative in their poll agenda.

In an apparent reference to his fallout last year with the Marans, who own the Sun Network, he said it was Raj TV, which 'boldly' came forward to air DMK news when other television channels were reluctant to do so.