Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Sunday refuted speculations about a rift between DMK and the grand-old party over seat sharing ahead of Tamil Nadu assembly elections, claiming that the party will receive the “respect that is due.“While talking to reporters, Tagore reiterated that Congress is in alliance with DMK and a committee, for seat sharing talks, will be formed on the 22nd February.“We are not like other parties that switch directions after merely putting on an indicator and turning right. We are a national party with principles. We are in an alliance with the DMK as part of the INDIA bloc,” Tagore said.“It has been 70 days since we were told that a committee would be formed for talks, and we are still waiting. They have now said that the committee will be formed on the 22nd February. We believe that we will receive the respect that is due to us,” he added.Earlier on Saturday, Tagore pushed his party’s demand for a larger share of seats in its alliance with the DMK.He said the Congress was seeking constituencies that the DMK had lost in the 2021 polls and emphasised that “power-sharing was essential” in state’s governance. However, days earlier, Stalin ruled out the possibility of sharing power with allies.Tagore’s remarks came in response to comments made by DMK leader and state minister RS Raja Kannappan in Madurai on February 13, where he asserted that the DMK would contest 170 constituencies and win 160 seats in the upcoming election.Reacting to the statement, Tagore, the MP from Virudhunagar, said in a post on X: “In 2021, you contested in 173 seats and secured 133. What we are asking (now) are the seats which you failed to win.”He further underlined the Congress’s position on governance, saying, “Power sharing is necessary. The share in power is our right. The people will decide,” while sharing a video clip of Raja Kannappan’s speech.In the video, Raja Kannappan ruled out the possibility of a coalition government, expressing confidence that the DMK would independently secure 160 seats.Days earlier, CM Stalin strongly ruled out sharing power with allies, while maintaining that the alliance with the Congress remained “intact” and free of confusion.“We also know that it will not work in Tamil Nadu; they (Congress) know it too. It is a problem created by some people. They are deliberately conspiring to see if there will be a rift in the alliance. We are not worried about it. Rahul Gandhi is not worried either,” Stalin said.The Tamil Nadu assembly has 234 seats, and the DMK-Congress alliance had won 151 seats in the 2021 elections.
