CHENNAI: Irked by relentless attack from Congress chief whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore and All India Professionals’ Congress chairman Praveen Chakravarthy, the DMK leadership has sought the national party’s high command to take action against the duo.
Meanwhile, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge summoned the party’s State unit president K Selvaperunthagai to Bengaluru to discuss the row, which came a day after Tagore warned the DMK that Congress cadre would hit back if provoked.
Sources said the DMK has conveyed its displeasure over remarks by the two second-rung leaders, who have been advocating power-sharing arrangements. The tensions within the ruling alliance were aggravated after the AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, alleged that the DMK had not initiated seat-sharing talks. However, the DMK believes that the talks would proceed smoothly once formal discussions begin on February 22 as scheduled.
Party sources said the DMK expects its ally to rein in leaders whose comments could strain ties ahead of the Assembly election, and is keen that seat-sharing negotiations proceed without public friction.
Against this backdrop, Selvaperunthagai met Kharge in Bengaluru to brief him on the controversy surrounding the comments by Tagore and Chakravarthy. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Selvaperunthagai admitted that there was a controversy within the Congress over the alliance and the forthcoming election in the last two or three days. “I have given a report to the Congress president, who will take a decision in the matter,” he said.
“As TNCC president, I strictly follow the AICC’s instructions. We have been told not to speak about alliances in public fora. Our leaders, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal, have asked us not to publicly express views,” he said in Chennai while leaving for Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, a group of TNCC office-bearers shot off a letter to Kharge, seeking a stronger role for the party in the State’s political and administrative framework. The letter said the party should insist on share in power in the DMK-led government, more seats in the coming Assembly election, adequate representation in boards and cooperative bodies, and a significant share in the forthcoming local body elections.