No hitch in seat-sharing talks, says TNCC chief

TNCC chief K. Selvaperunthagai confirms smooth seat-sharing talks with DMK, emphasizing Congress's rights and ongoing protests against government policies.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai on Saturday said there was no disruption in the ongoing seat-sharing talks with the DMK for the forthcoming elections and the discussions were progressing smoothly.

Speaking to reporters here, he said that seeking a higher number of seats was the Congress party’s right. “The DMK and the Chief Minister have a large heart and the capacity to accommodate allies. They have implemented world-class welfare schemes in Tamil Nadu.”

Asked if the Congress would also seek a share in governance, he said that all such decisions would be taken by the party’s high command.

The TNCC president was in Tiruchi to take part in a nationwide protest organised by the Congress against the replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. As part of the protest, party workers staged a demonstration near Gandhi statue close to the Main Guard Gate – Marakkadai stretch in Gandhi Market, followed by a public meeting at Marakkadai.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Selvaperunthagai criticised the Union government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the Congress would continue its agitation until Mahatma Gandhi’s name was restored in the Act.

He recalled Mahatma Gandhi’s contributions to India’s freedom struggle and the circumstances that led to the enactment of MGNREGA, which, he said, had won international appreciation as a landmark legislation aimed at supporting the poor and the marginalised.