Congress functionary and Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Praveen Chakravarthy on Sunday spoke openly about the party’s alliance talks with the DMK and the TVK ahead of the Assembly election.
Speaking to reporters at Chennai airport, he said Rahul Gandhi had first travelled to Puducherry and Kerala as polling there is scheduled for April 9, and would visit Tamil Nadu thereafter.
Chakravarthy acknowledged discontent among party workers over the candidate list, but said the core issue was not about who got tickets. He argued that Congress has been limited to around 28–30 seats for nearly two decades, and said the party must secure greater “respect” and more seats to address the recurring dissatisfaction.
He said Congress had tried to negotiate for additional seats within the DMK-led alliance. Describing the talks metaphorically, he said one side offered to “share a small dosa”, while another invited the party to a “wedding feast”, but the Congress leadership agreed to 28 seats for various reasons.
Chakravarthy also said there should be no space for the BJP in Tamil Nadu, adding that the state prefers secular governance. He further claimed that Kerala would next have a Congress Chief Minister, and said there was no scope for the party in Puducherry.
