DMK-Congress Alliance Talks Hit a Roadblock

Chennai: Negotiations on seat-sharing between the Congress and the DMK in Tamil Nadu have seemingly hit a roadblock as there was no response from the DMK high command on the formation of a committee to hold talks though AICC’s Tamil Nadu in charge Girish Chodankar has been camping in Chennai for more than a couple of day waiting for initiating the talks.

It is learnt that the DMK leaders have expressed resentment over the Congress deputing Chodankar for the negotiations and it was said that AICC organization general secretary K C Venugopal would come down to Chennai to discuss the seat-sharing matter with DMK leaders. Since that visit was called off there was no scope for starting the negotiations.

Now that Venugopal is coming down to Chennai on Thursday to take part in the Congress party’s protest march in Chennai’s southern suburbs demanding restoration of the MGNREGA, the old 100 day work scheme, in its old form, he might help start the talks, it is speculated.

Chodankar, who has been staying put in Chennai and holding discussions with Congress leaders, is said to have even spoken to DMK deputy general secretary, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, and urged her to expedite the formation of the committee with a view to speed up the negotiations.

However, the DMK is no hurry to form the committee that would hold talks with the Congress team, led by Chodankar, as Chief Minister and party president M K Stalin, just said 'soon' when asked about it by media persons when he came for an event in his constituency in Kolathur.

Since Congress leaders were making demands for share in power and more seats to contest, the DMK is said to have made its offer of some 27 seats and no share in power, besides a Rajya Sabha nomination and refusing to change its mind.

But with the Congress insisting on the demands that the DMK sees as exorbitant, the talks are not progressing though both the parties are putting up a show of bonhomie in public to send across the message that the alliance to fight the BJP was intact.

On Tuesday, TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai thanked Chief Minister M K Stalin for acceding to the demand of the Congress to name the new bus stand, built on the Chennai-Villupuram highway at a cost of Rs 26 crore, after Indira Gandhi.

The hostile messages put out on X earlier by some Congress leaders have stopped and the DMK leaders who were speaking out against Congress leaders have also been silenced. Yet the seat sharing talks are in limbo, casting doubts over the continuation of the alliance itself.

It is also speculated as to who would blink first, the Congress or the DMK, as it now looked like a standoff with both sides refusing to give in and bargain any further but holding on to their positions firmly.