Amid reports of strain with the Congress over power-sharing, DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday asserted that the DMK-Congress alliance remains "intact", but firmly ruled out accommodating allies in the cabinet.
Stalin said there was no confusion within the alliance, dismissing recent speculation as misplaced.
In the past months, this is the first time the chief minister has asserted that there is no possibility of sharing power, a concept alien to Tamil Nadu's political history that has been dominated by the Dravidian parties since 1967.
Rumours of confusion in the alliance: Stalin
His remarks come amid a war of words between sections of the DMK and the Congress over demands for power-sharing and a larger share of seats.
Responding to a question on the Congress' demand, Stalin said, "We also know that it will not work in TN; they (Congress) know it too. It is a problem created by some people. They are deliberately conspiring to see if there will be a rift in the alliance. We are not worried about it. He (Rahul Gandhi) is not worried either,"
The CM made it clear that his party's ties with the Congress continued to be cordial and blamed a section of the media for claiming the contrary. "Rumours of confusion in the alliance are being spread deliberately. Beyond politics, I look at Rahul Gandhi as a brother..."he said at the India Today Roundtable conference, here. The DMK-Congress alliance is in harmony. What others are expecting (split) will not happen."
The CM's remark assumed significance in the wake of the Congress party expressing displeasure over seat-sharing talks.
There is widespread speculation over the DMK-Congress alliance following the war of words between Congress MPs Manickam Tagore, Jothimani and Madurai DMK leader G Thalapathy over "power-sharing".
What happened in the 2021 elections?
In the previous assembly elections held in 2021, the Congress was allotted 25 seats of the state's 234 assembly constituencies. Of these, the party won 18 seats. The DMK, on the other hand, had contested on 188 seats and bagged 133 of them. Meanwhile, the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu will likely be held in mid of this year, along with those in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry.
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