The tussle between the DMK and the Congress continued on Tuesday with DMK Parliamentary Party leader T.R. Baalu saying that only time will tell whether the alliance between the parties will continue or not . However, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K.S. Alagiri downplayed the issue and insisted in New Delhi that there was no rift between the two parties and both were firmly holding hands.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi after meeting Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Alagiri said the DMK and the Congress were firmly standing hand-in-hand. “Me and Mr. Stalin are politically, ideologically and personally close friends. There is no chance of the two parties separating,” he said.
When asked about Mr. Baalu’s interview to The Hindu that Mr. Alagiri’s statement accusing the DMK of not adhering to coalition dharma, had ridiculed the DMK, the TNCC president said Mr. Baalu was senior to him and that the media should ask the former union minister his views.
“The alliance between the two parties is like a family problem. In a family, there will be problems and reconciliation. But there is no anger or disappointment,” he said.
He insisted that “a small issue like a panchayat union election” will not undermine the alliance and cannot break the bond between the two parties.
