Cracks appearing on DMK-Congress alliance?

CHENNAI/TIRUCHY: Cracks seem to be appearing in the DMK-Congress alliance over the ensuing elections to local bodies in the State. Senior DMK leader and former Transport Minister KN Nehru questioned his party’s alliance with Congress, on Saturday, and stated that he would urge his party president MK Stalin to contest the civic elections without an alliance with the grand old party.    

“Yesterday, a Congress leader had said in South Chennai, we will get 35 divisions out of 200 in the local body elections. This is my view that if we are to be useful for the people, we have to contest the local body elections alone. I will make a request in this regard to my leader. Why because, for how much more time we have to carry the Congress on our back? Of course, we have been carrying them for a long time,” Nehru said while speaking at a demonstration to demand the State government to take immediate steps to solve the water crisis.

However, later talking to newspersons, obviously as a damage control exercise, he said “It was my personal opinion. If party leaders take a decision, we will work accordingly. My wish is the wish of any party cadre to contest in more seats in any election. It has nothing to do with dissent or alliance”

Asked whether his views were a ploy for the DMK to contest in more number of seats in the elections to local bodies, Nehru, in an affirmative tone said: “We will contest in a larger number of seats. But as a DMK man, I wish that my party should win this parliamentary constituency as well as the mayoral election.

This issue has caused ripples within Congress too. Congress South Chennai district president Karate Thyagarajan said, “When the election results were declared, party candidate from Tiruchy, S Thirunavukkarasar had said he got a margin of 4.5 lakh votes and of that he got two lakh votes out of his own popularity. This sowed the seeds of bitterness among the DMK men in Tiruchy.” 

However, Thirunavukkarasar condemned Karate Thyagarajan’s remarks and said he had never claimed that he had won the elections on his personal influence. Karate Thyagarajan told Express: “We do not want any party to carry the Congress. Alliances are formed according to the prevailing political situations. We should not forget that many factors have led to the results in Lok Sabha polls.” He further said Congress cadre feel that the remarks of Nehru were harsh in nature.  He also pointed out that when the no-confidence motion against the Assembly Speaker is taken up next week, the seven votes of Congress party will be vital.”

Ties intact, says Alagiri

TNCC president KS Alagiri on Saturday said the alliance between Congress and DMK and other secular parties had been cordial and will continue to be so