TNCC chief strongly criticises Cong leader Chakravarty's views, asserts alliance with DMK strong

Chennai, Dec 29 (PTI) Strongly criticising Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty's remarks on Tamil Nadu's debt situation, the party's state president K Selvaperunthagai on Monday clarified that his views don't represent the voice of the Congress party.

He also asserted that the Congress party's alliance with DMK remains "as strong as an iron fortress".

Speaking to reporters here, the TNCC chief said, "We will not allow anyone within the Congress to echo the voice of the RSS or the BJP. I want to clarify that Chakravarty’s statements do not represent the voice of the Congress party".

"The alliance with DMK stands like an iron fortress; no one can break it. We will not allow any force -- within or outside -- to help the BJP gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu or act as its spies," added the TNCC chief.

Stating that the authorised voices for the party are he (TNCC chief), AICC leader Girish Chodankar, All-India President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, he said he had sent a formal complaint to the AICC president on the controversy involving Chakravarty.

“We will not permit any misuse of Rahul Gandhi’s name or the running of parallel agendas for personal fame,” he said.

Praveen Chakravarty, Chairman - Professionals’ Congress, sparked controversy by posting on X about Tamil Nadu’s "alarming" debt situation under the DMK government. He compared the state’s debt to Uttar Pradesh’s, noting that in 2010, UP had over double TN’s debt, but TN now leads with the highest outstanding debt and a high interest burden.

The remark, made in response to DMK MP Kanimozhi’s claims of growth despite debt, drew sharp backlash from DMK leaders and fueled speculation of rifts in the alliance ahead of 2026 polls.

Selvaperunthagai said Chakravarty's comments were "incorrect and motivated".

"Comparing Uttar Pradesh to Tamil Nadu is unjust. UP is under a ‘Bulldozer rule’ where people’s homes are demolished. Is Praveen speaking as the voice of Yogi Adityanath?" he asked, adding that Tamil Nadu’s debt ratio had come down under the DMK regime -- from 4.61 per cent during AIADMK’s rule in 2021 to 3 per cent now.

TNCC president alleged that Chakravarty was "attempting to create confusion within the alliance for personal publicity".

On the ongoing seat-sharing discussions with the DMK, he said negotiations were progressing smoothly. "Seat talks cannot be settled in a single day. Both parties will express their views and reach an amicable conclusion," he said, dismissing BJP leader K Annamalai’s recent remarks on the alliance as "a daydream".

Selvaperunthagai said the Congress had so far received over 2,600 applications from aspirants seeking to contest in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

"Even today, hundreds of our party comrades have submitted their applications. The deadline for submission is December 31," he said. PTI JR JR ADB