DMK 'trusted ally,' says Cong, waiting for positive response over TN Assembly related demands

Chennai, Jan 3 (PTI) Girish Chodankar, Congress party's in-charge for Tamil Nadu on Saturday asserted that the Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK is a trusted, long time ally and ruled out scope for an alliance with the actor-politician Vijay-led TVK for this year's Assembly election.

Speaking to reporters here, flanked by Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President K Selvaperunthagai and party leaders, Chodankar, when asked on possibilities of alliance with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, he shot back asking whether "anybody has told you that the Congress party is not going to have an alliance with the DMK." Recalling his meeting with Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin about a month ago, he expressed confidence that the DMK brass would soon take a firm decision on the election related matters such as seat-sharing.

A committee --to hold seat sharing talks with the DMK-- was formed about a month and half ago since the Congress party was interested in the alliance with the Dravidian major.

"The Congress party has a long-standing relationship with the DMK, it is a trusted ally," he said, adding election-related matters like seat-sharing would soon be decided.

Chodankar parried questions on Congress office-bearer Praveen Chakravarthy's meeting with TVK chief Vijay and claims that the grand old party had demanded 38 Assembly seats and three Cabinet berths if the DMK-led alliance wins polls.

The number of seats to be contested by the Congress would be made known 'shortly'.

Asked on "power sharing," demand, he asked if any political party "will say that they don't want the power.' "Then we should name ourselves as NGO." PTI VGN VGN SA