CONGRESS HEADING FOR A SELF GOAL IN TAMIL NADU?

Is the Congress shooting itself in the foot over the alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu?

- PRIYA SAHGAL

The DMK has always been a staunch supporter of the Congress and a key player in the INDIA bloc. MK Stalin the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister was one of the first to fly to Bihar during the SIR agitations spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi and this elevated the protest from just a Congress one to a consolidated Opposition effort. Within Parliament too, where other allies have sometimes not supported the Congress such as the TMC and at times the SP, the DMK has always stood steadfast by Rahil Gandhi's side. This is why the current stance of the Congress, in flirting with the actor turned politician Vijay’s newly launched TVK has not gone down well with its old ally.The Congress point of view is being articulated by two of Rahul Gandhi's loyalists, one is the Virudhunagar MP Mannickam Tagore and the other is wannabe Rajya Sabha MP Praveen Chakravarty. The duo have been advocating a tie up with the TVK and this has not gone down well with the DMK or even some of the local Congress MLAS and leaders. What Tagore and Chakravarty are advocating for is that the Congress should be given a larger number of seats and some berths in the state government. Given the duo's proximity to Rahul Gandhi this demand is being seen as one that has RaGa’s blessings. However, the DMK is equally adamant that while the number of seats could be negotiated (the Congress is asking for 44 while the DMK wants to give