The rift between Congress and the DMK, just ahead of the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, seems to have reached a crescendo.
The DMK, which is visibly upset over the remarks made by Virudhunagar MP Manickam Tagore and data chief Praveen Chakravarty, is seeking action against the two before seat-sharing talks with the Congress. Highly placed sources in the DMK say that their leadership is ready to “forego” Congress from the alliance.
Sources in the DMK say that Chief Minister Stalin, who has closed the doors for “power sharing”, feels that Tagore and Chakravarty are targeting the DMK only with the blessings of Congress's high command.
“Our leader is prepared for any outcome now. We will not be calling the Congress for seat-sharing talks if action is not taken against Tagore and Chakravarty,” a senior DMK leader informed THE WEEK. The DMK leadership also feels that the Congress top brass did not choose to put an end to the many comments made by Tagore and Chakravarty.
“How can we go for seat-sharing talks when so much has been played in social media about the alliance and against our leader? Tagore is continuously criticising our chief minister and the party. Our leader has categorically told that sharing power is not possible. But he is repeatedly targeting us and this is happening only with the blessings of the Congress leadership in Delhi,” the senior leader from the DMK had told THE WEEK.
The DMK also suspects that Congress could be in talks with Vijay’s TVK. In fact, it is said that a few Congress leaders—including those from Delhi—are interested in aligning with the TVK.
In a related development, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) chief K. Selvaperunthagai on Monday flew to Bengaluru to call on AICC leader Mallikarjun Kharge and brief him on the political situation in Tamil Nadu.
Selvaperunthagai had reportedly conveyed the strain in the Congress-DMK relationship. As he left for Bengaluru, briefing the media, Selvaperunthagai openly accused Tagore and Chakravarty of talking against the party line, despite a diktat in that regard.
Referring to the 2014 poll debacle, Tagore had said on Sunday that the Congress had to pay for the mistakes of the DMK. He also sought to know why the DMK had not taken any action against leaders who spoke ill of the national party.
One of the DMK's ministers, Raja Kannappan, as well as one of the MLAs from Madurai, Ko. Thalapathy, had spoken against Congress and a few of its MPs. In that regard, a resolution was passed by Tagore against the DMK in one of the party's meetings on Sunday.
However, speaking to THE WEEK, yet another Congress MP, said that “if we have to leave the alliance now, it will be a huge loss for us".
"There should have been a solid political reason for us quitting the alliance. We should have prepared the round for us to contest alone or go with any other party,” the MP added.
