When Congress Basic Secretary (Group) KC Venugopal arrived at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s Alwarpet residence on Sunday evening, the optics have been pointing to escalation.
Nevertheless, prime sources within the DMK and the Tamil Nadu Congress say the main focus has shifted inside the Congress. As a substitute of pushing forward with the power-sharing calls for which have precipitated friction in current weeks, Venugopal targeted on Rajya Sabha seats, notably searching for one for a frontrunner from outdoors Tamil Nadu, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khela. “It’s not quite common for the DMK management to face such calls for. However the management might not have an issue with it,” stated a prime DMK official.
For weeks, some Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu have been publicly demanding power-sharing in a future DMK-led authorities and even handed a decision to that impact.
The requests for Rajya Sabha seats come because the nomination date approaches, prompting urgency on the a part of the Congress. However it’s noteworthy that the controversial difficulty of energy sharing within the state cupboard, which was publicly rejected by Stalin, was not even raised at Sunday’s essential assembly. The precise variety of parliamentary seats has additionally not been determined, with particulars left for the following spherical of talks, the individuals stated.
This readjustment is politically essential. In current weeks, two Congress leaders, Virudhunagar MP Manickam Tagore and All India Consultants Congress president Praveen Chakravarthy, have sharpened their rhetoric, demanding not simply extra parliamentary seats but in addition a share within the authorities.
Stalin, then again, firmly dominated out energy sharing. Sunday’s assembly means that the Congress excessive command is adopting a extra cautious method, at the least in its formal engagement with the DMK.
Parliamentary officers acknowledged that whereas power-sharing was not a slender framework for ministerial positions, broader considerations have been conveyed. “That is the primary session and now we have conveyed our considerations and points raised by the employees within the state. We’re ready for his or her response,” stated a Congress chief aware of the event.
One other parliamentary supply stated the demand goes past ministers. “After we speak about energy sharing, it’s not simply inside the state authorities. The celebration can also be taking on energy sharing in committees and different our bodies on the floor degree. Congress employees throughout the state are collaborating within the governance course of,” the official stated. Congress additionally raised seat sharing for subsequent yr’s native authorities elections, seen as a key discussion board for rebuilding grassroots energy.
Venugopal was accompanied by TNCC chairman Okay. Selvaperunthagai and AICC chief Girish Chodankar. Nevertheless, sources stated the core discussions have been primarily between Venugopal and Stalin. The Congress delegation handed over a sealed envelope from Congress Celebration of Parliamentary Celebration (CPP) President Sonia Gandhi, including a component of strict rigor to the assembly.
Contextual conferences
The background to the assembly is delicate. The DMK had initially invited the Congress seat-sharing committee for talks later within the week. Mr Venugopal’s resolution to reach early was taken by many as an try and reset the environment amid public sparring between leaders of each events. DMK sources say the celebration stays firmly against formal power-sharing. On the identical time, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance is poised to modestly improve its seat allocation from 25 in 2021 to maybe 27 or 28, with Premalatha Vijayakanth’s DMDK turning into the most recent entrant to the coalition.
Sunday’s assembly got here after a public spat after opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and a few Congress leaders identified to be near Venugopal publicly framed the power-sharing difficulty as a matter of dignity and cupboard illustration. Sunday’s tone, which as a substitute targeted on Rajya Sabha illustration and decentralized participation in governance, dangers resolving the disaster and embarrassing those that escalated the rhetoric.
In January, The Indian Specific reported that about 40 Congress leaders from Tamil Nadu met the celebration excessive command in Delhi and requested the management to not break the DMK alliance whereas searching for extra seats and illustration in native our bodies, cooperative our bodies and different boards. The main target of the discussions and calls for was on respect and empowerment on the floor degree, relatively than a dramatic break. Sunday’s assembly seems to replicate that logic.
