The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president, K.S. Alagiri, on January 30, said some of the Lok Sabha seat aspirants in his party were urging the leadership to ask for seats that Dravidian parties generally do not allot to allies.
Referring to DMK Minister R.S. Rajakannappan’s recent comments that the Congress existed only to get ‘seats during the elections’, Mr. Alagiri said it was a norm in every party to speak about such shortcomings openly. “Even in our party, some of them have asked me why doesn’t the DMK give us any of the Chennai seats. I told them that I would seek a Chennai seat on their behalf…”
“Everybody wants to become an MP or an MLA. The Minister who criticised us too wants a seat. It is the DMK who should respond to the Minister.”
Speaking on Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary, Mr. Alagiri said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not implemented any of the poll promises such as providing two crore jobs for youth every year, doubling the income of farmers, and assuring to bring back black money through demonetisation, among others. “This is why the BJP and Mr. Modi are using Lord Ram to seek votes….”
Mr. Alagiri further claimed that “those who killed Gandhi and rejoiced over it” had grown and come to power. “Mahatma Gandhi is perhaps the only person in the world whose statues are found across the world, despite not having wielded power. Biggest leaders bowed to Gandhi, including Churchill (then British Prime Minister) who said they had protected Gandhi for 30 years but Indians killed him within a year. He said this in Parliament. It is not about individuals, but it is about the ideals and principles he had,” he added.