'Congress running party to get seats': Ally DMK's dig amid INDIA bloc turmoil

‘Congress running party to get seats’: Ally DMK’s dig amid INDIA bloc turmoil

Amid the rift within the Opposition INDIA bloc, a DMK minister in Tamil Nadu took a dig at ally Congress, claiming that it was running the party only to get seats for its own in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

DMK minister Raja Kannappan said while the Congress is a “big and old party”, he acknowledged that the party had “lost its strength”.

“As far as the Congress is concerned, they run the party only to get seats. What’s the use of that? They don’t run the party thinking they should work hard or do good for the people. But when elections come closer, they will come. This doesn’t work amongst the people,” he said at an event to pay tributes to the martyrs of the language struggle in Puducherry on Thursday.

“That’s why the BJP is trying to do too much. The BJP can’t do that with us. We don’t get scared. We will chase them away. We will take care of BJP,” he said.

The DMK and the Congress, who are partners in the Tamil Nadu government, are set to hold the first round of formal seat-sharing talks for the 2024 Lok Sabha election in Chennai on Sunday.

Kanappan said, “As far as the INDIA bloc is concerned, our leader spoke about it even a day back. Congress is a big and old party. I’m not denying that. But they have lost their strength.”

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin has urged the leaders of the INDIA bloc to stay united amid turmoil within the Opposition alliance. Stalin urged his INDIA allies to make sure that the “votes against BJP should not split”.

In a blow to the INDIA bloc earlier this week, the TMC and AAP have decided to fight alone in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal and Punjab, respectively. The alliance is facing a fresh crisis in Bihar with Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar playing the guessing game over switching sides from the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) to the BJP-led NDA.

The TMC and AAP made their respective moves citing unsuccessful seat-sharing talks, while Nitish Kumar, according to sources, was also upset with the progress of the negotiations.

The INDIA bloc, a coalition of 28 Opposition parties, was formed in July last year, to take on the ruling BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha polls, scheduled to be held in April-May.

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