Tamil Nadu Congress party president KS Alagiri. (Photo Credit: ANI)
New Delhi:
Putting to rest all the reports of difference between the Congress-DMK alliance in Tamil Nadu, DMK, Congress, KS Alagiri said that there was no problem in the alliance and it will continue for state assembly elections slated for next year. Alagiri, Congress president of Tamil Nadu unit, said this after meeting DMK president MK Stalin. “There is no problem with our alliance. There were differences which were sorted out. We put forward our views, the alliance will continue for state elections (2021) and even after that,” he said.
Alagiri has to issue a clarification because he had charged the DMK leadership of violating the "coalition dharma" in the distribution of seats for the just concluded rural local bodies election. Congress legislative party leader KR Ramasamy too had made similar accusations.
The DMK took objection to this and boycotted an all-party meeting convened by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Monday. DMK leader Durai Murugan even said that his party was least bothered if the Congress left the alliance.
“If they want to quit, let them do so. How are we concerned, what is the loss for us?” Party veteran Durai Murugan said when asked to comment on Congress’s charge that DMK violated coalition dharma.
Asked whether the votes in favour of DMK would be hit without Congress, Durai Murugan said his party will not be affected at all. "No, not at all. Only if they (Congress) have a vote share ours (votes) will get reduced,” Durai Murugan, flanked by his son Kathir Anand, said.
In his sarcastic style, he said the Congress does not have a vote bank to make a dent on his party’s prospects. “Do they have votes to make an impact?” he quipped.
On his party colleague and former Union Minister TR Baalu saying that only “time will tell” on ties, he said:
“Baalu said only time will tell. But I have answered the question.” Reacting to it, Congress Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram, son of senior leader P Chidambaram, asked in his twitter handle: “Why didn’t this wisdom dawn before the Vellore parliamentary bye-election? @DuraimuruganDmk @dmkathiranand.” The Vellore Lok Sabha election was held in August last and Duraimurugan’s son Kathir emerged victorious by a margin of 8,141 votes.
