DMK fumes over Tamil Nadu Congress chief's comment of party being cheated for 57 years

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Congress president K Selvaperunthagai’s remark that the party has been cheated for the past 57 years might trigger a row among INDIA bloc constituents in the southern state.

Addressing a party rally in Dharmpuri on Wednesday night, Selvaperunthagai asked how long the Congress will have to seek alms for seats from another party, adding that it was high time the Congress stopped the ‘betrayal’ meted out to the party since 1967.

“From asking for seats during elections, the Congress party should grow to the stature of allocating constituencies to its alliance partners. We waited patiently for the last 57 years and now the party cadre should work hard to realise the dream of Kamaraj rule in Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Selvaperunthagai added, “Rahul Gandhi was worried about the party’s current scenario when he visited the state. Once the Congress used to allocate seats to other parties and the same should happen again in Tamil Nadu.”

TNCC chief speech can create problems in the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu in which both the DMK and the Congress are allies. While senior leaders of the DMK refrained from responding in public, in private they said the statements of Selvaperunthagai made from a public platform were quite unacceptable.

A senior DMK leader, on condition of anonymity said, “I don’t know in what context the TNCC president made such a statement. The ground reality is the Congress is not even entitled to the nine seats the DMK allocated the party for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. DMK, the largest political party in Tamil Nadu, contested only 22 seats, so this statement of the Congress leader is not fair. If the Congress is not growing among the public, it is for them to do introspection rather than making such public statements,” he said.

When contacted, several senior leaders of the DMK said that while party president and Chief Minister MK Stalin is unlikely to comment on Selvaperunthagai’s remarks, he would communicate the matter to the Congress high command.

Some second-rung DMK leaders reacting to TNCC chief’s talk said that the Congress did not even have booth committees in most of the Lok Sabha seats they contested in the state and it was the DMK cadre who worked for the party candidates at the grassroots level. So, such public statements from the state Congress chief were quite unacceptable.

‘Nothing wrong in Cong claim to form Kamaraj rule’

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai on Friday said the party’s alliance will not be affected because of its resolve to form a government and bring back Kamarajar rule in Tamil Nadu. Addressing reporters in Coimbatore, Selvaperunthagai said even smaller parties in the state are claiming to form a government.

“So, there is nothing wrong in Congress making such claims and it wouldn’t affect our alliance. By strengthening the party, our alliance parties will also get strengthened. The Congress is maintaining a friendly relationship with DMK and there is no chance of breaking up the alliance,” he said.

Earlier, while speaking to party functionaries, the Congress leader said, “Democracy can be saved only if Congress is strengthened. If you didn’t perform after grabbing posts, then Congress may not come to power even after another 57 years.” Later hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said people have decided to send Modi home and make Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister.