CHENNAI: Former DMK MP TKS Elangovan on Saturday said the Congress high command had not sought any power-sharing arrangement during alliance discussions with the DMK.
Addressing a press conference at Anna Arivalayam, Elangovan said neither the Congress leadership in Delhi nor its Tamil Nadu unit had raised the issue. He added that even if such a demand were made, the DMK leadership was capable of handling alliance partners with maturity.
Elangovan’s remarks came ahead of the DMK’s month-long campaign, Tamil Nadu Won’t Bow, which is scheduled to begin on Sunday across all 234 Assembly constituencies. He said around 22 star campaigners would tour the State, highlighting the achievements of the DMK government and what he described as the betrayal of Tamil Nadu by the BJP-led Union government.
Responding to speculation around alliance negotiations, Elangovan reiterated that there had been no formal demand from Congress on power sharing. Recalling past precedent, he said the DMK had formed a minority government in 2006 under then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi with Congress support from outside, without any claim to power.
Earlier, during a meeting between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi in Delhi on January 28, no decision was taken on the number of Assembly seats the Congress would contest as part of the alliance. Congress sources later said Gandhi conveyed that the party would avoid raising issues that could strain the long-standing DMK–Congress relationship.
The meeting assumed significance amid recent statements by some Congress leaders seeking power sharing in Tamil Nadu, which created confusion within the DMK-led Secular Democratic Alliance. For the DMK, power sharing remains a sensitive issue, with party leaders wary that any such arrangement could trigger similar demands from other allies.
Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi Somu and MLA Ezhilan Naganathan were present at the press conference.