CHENNAI : Even though the long luncheon meeting of DMK working president M K Stalin and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has led to speculations that the Dravidian major could keep its options open for the next Lok Sabha elections, the Tamil Nadu Congress seems unruffled over the new development.Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief S Thirunavukkarasar said neither the Trinamool Congress led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee nor the Telangana Rashtra Samithi led by Chandrasekhar Rao had any stakes in the Tamil Nadu politics.
“What do they have in Tamil Nadu? They have no presence in our State,” Thirunavukkarasar told Express.
The Congress also felt that the DMK will never venture to take risk in disturbing the current formation of a nine-party combine that includes both Congress and Left parties. “Voters in Tamil Nadu have a natural inclination towards an alliance, of which the Congress is a partner, in Lok Sabha elections. The minorities and Dalits too naturally support the Congress,” observed A Gopanna, spokesperson of the Tamil Nadu Congress. He said the secular image of his party too is an advantage.
“We are foreseeing a repeat of 2004, when the Congress-DMK alliance comprising other opposition parties swept the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu to make a comeback at the Centre,” he hoped.
Both Thirunavukkarasar and Gopanna felt that there was nothing to attribute to the meeting between Stalin and KCR, given the prevailing condition of attack on states’ autonomy and the imposing domination of the BJP-led Centre, which were the issues that were raised by Telangana Chief Minister.
However, a section of people in the party is stated to have been resenting the developments.
“When we have long association with the DMK and are part of the protests over various issues, including the Cauvery river water sharing row, the DMK entertaining a leader who had talked of a front sans our party will send wrong signals,” said a veteran Congress leader.
Kanimozhi meets TS CM
A day after her brother M K Stalin met K Chandrasekhar Rao, DMK MP Kanimozhi on Monday called on the Telangana Chief Minister in a city hotel and discussed the prevailing political situation in the country, sources said.