Congress leaders here dubbed the Puducherry situation as a “big problem” that could complicate the alliance here. A Congress MP unwilling to be quoted said, “It is a big problem. How could we support the DMK form the government here when they will unseat our government in Puducherry.” 

A concerned Congress MLA from south referred to the recent local body polls, which the two parties contested independently in Kanniyakumari and said that there was friction between the two parties in Puducherry and it was up to the DMK leadership to prevail over their leaders there to iron out the differences. 

When contacted, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president KS Alagiri said, “Puducherry and Tamil Nadu are two different party units. What is happening between the two party leaders there is not a political issue. It is a local dispute.” Asked if it were possible for the two parties to fight the election together in Tamil Nadu and sever ties in Puducherry, Alagiri referred to the Kerala situation and said, “Congress and Left parties are rivals in Kerala. In Kanniyakumari, which is just 30 kms away, we fight the election together.” 

Refusing to accept the TNCC chief’s argument, the senior Congress MP argued, “How could we allow DMK to unseat our government in Puducherry and seek votes to put the DMK in power here? We fought the elections together with Left in West Bengal too. So, comparing Kerala and TN is ridiculous.. . When did we contest in a separate alliance in Puducherry and TN? We speak the same language and our culture is the same in Puducherry and TN. It is highly complicated.”