DMK-led alliance protest: TNCC chief hits out at Modi, Palaniswami

TNCC President K Selvaperunthagai led a protest in Chennai, slamming PM Modi and AIADMK's Palaniswami for neglecting Tamil Nadu, especially over the LPG crisis. He expressed confidence that voters would reject the BJP-AIADMK alliance.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President K Selvaperunthagai on Sunday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami during a protest organised by Secular Progressive Alliance parties in Chennai against the Union Government.

The protest, organised to condemn the Centre for allegedly neglecting Tamil Nadu, was held at several places across the city by the DMK-led alliance leaders. A major demonstration took place at Egmore under the leadership of Selvaperunthagai, with Egmore MLA Paranthaman also present. A large number of cadres from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Congress and other alliance parties participated in the demonstration.

Selvaperunthagai Slams Centre Over Governance, LPG Crisis

During the protest, demonstrators raised slogans against the Centre over the LPG shortage issue, alleging that they failed to address the hardships faced by people. Speaking to ANI, Selvaperunthagai said, "When the Congress party was in power at the Centre, the government absorbed the burden even when crude oil prices increased."

However, he alleged that the BJP government was incapable of governing the country and that the AIADMK was supporting it. He further claimed, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi was acting based on directions from the United States" and accused him of "compromising India's dignity." Selvaperunthagai also praised the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for guiding the state firmly during difficult times and said that the DMK alliance was committed to protecting the interests of Tamil Nadu and ensuring the state's progress.

Criticism of AIADMK Leader Palaniswami

The TNCC president also criticised AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami, stating that, "Despite the LPG crisis affecting people, he had not raised his voice against the Union Government or demanded a solution to the issue."

Selvaperunthagai said the protest was organised to condemn Prime Minister Modi and Palaniswami for not seeking a resolution to the LPG shortage. He said, "People were struggling to obtain LPG cylinders and were moving from place to place to secure them, while the leaders concerned were merely watching the situation."

Expressing confidence ahead of the upcoming elections, he said the public would punish the BJP-AIADMK alliance and claimed that both Prime Minister Modi and Palaniswami would lose their deposits in the polls.

Alliance Seat-Sharing Arrangement

Responding to a question about CPI(M) State Secretary Shanmugam seeking additional seats for his party in the alliance, Selvaperunthagai said, "Congress had accepted the seat-sharing arrangement with satisfaction in order to safeguard the interests of Tamil Nadu."

He noted that the Congress had contested in 110 seats earlier in the DMK alliance, which later came down to 63, then 41 and subsequently 25 seats. "For this election, our leadership requested 41 seats, but the DMK has allotted 28 seats. We have accepted it wholeheartedly," he said. Selvaperunthagai also appealed to other alliance partners to respectfully present their demands, adding that the Chief Minister was willing to consider them.

Election Outlook and 2021 Results

Elections are set to be held for 234 seats of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections as the current assembly's term expires between May and June 2026. Both the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the DMK-led alliance (with Congress) have almost finalised the seat-sharing arrangement.

In the 2021 elections, the DMK-led alliance secured a major victory by winning 159 seats, with the DMK becoming the single largest party by 133 seats, crossing the halfway mark on its own. The AIADMK had secured 60 seats, while their alliance partner, the BJP, secured 4. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)