CHENNAI: Congress MP B Manickam Tagore on Monday triggered a debate by stating that no party can win elections in Tamil Nadu without an alliance and that the time has come to discuss power-sharing arrangements instead of limiting talks to seat-sharing.
Referring to a survey he had shared on social media, Tagore said that while the vote-share figures cited might not be entirely accurate, they reflected the distinct support base enjoyed by each political party in the state.
Responding to his remarks, MM Abdulla, secretary of the DMK NRI wing and a former MP, cautioned alliance leaders against falling into “a trap laid by those supporting Hindutva ideology”. He alleged that social media users would know that Hindutva-aligned pages were the first to push the narrative of power-sharing in Tamil Nadu to create confusion in the DMK alliance, after realising that they would never come to power in Tamil Nadu.
Abdulla added alliance leaders such as Thol Thirumavalavan and KM Kader Mohideen had clarified in their interviews that the sole objective of the alliance was to remain united, defeat “RSS forces” and protect Tamil Nadu. “However, Manickam Tagore is now reviving a dead narrative created by the RSS to sow confusion among alliance cadre. At a time when leaders and cadre are working in close coordination ahead of the elections, whose interests does this serve?” he asked.
Responding to the criticism, Tagore said he would always remain a Congressman and that it was his duty to raise his voice against “sangis” both inside and outside Parliament.
He added that power-sharing was the official position of the party and had also been articulated by Tamil Nadu AICC in-charge Girish Chodankar.