Will fight for respectable number of seats from DMK, says Moily

Congress on Friday struck a defiant note after seat sharing talks with ally DMK for the April 6 assembly polls apparently did not go well, saying it will 'fight for a respectable number' to keep the morale of party workers high.

Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily, who had earlier stated that there was no stalemate in the talks and that differences would be sorted out, said his party was taking a firm stand on the matter.

Asked what was the hurdle to the exercise, the senior leader said "negotiations are on. We will fight for a respectable number of seats to keep the morale of the Congress men very high, he told reporters here.

The DMK, he said, was sure to realise this as there was a need for consolidation of secular forces in Tamil Nadu

"It is necessary to defeat the divisive forces represented by the BJP-led NDA and Tamil Nadu is a strong platform to keep up the spirit of federalism and nationalism, he said.

Earlier, Moily who was here to discuss the DMKs offer and way forward with the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee at the Congress headquarters Sathyamurthy Bhavan, had indicated that discussions with the DMK on sharing of seats would be resumed.

On Thursday, the DMKhad urged the Congress to resume talks after AICC in-charge of Tamil Nadu Dinesh Gundu Rao met TNCC leaders here and discussed the DMKs offer of seats which was not agreeable to the national party.

The two rounds of discussions between DMK and Congress have remained inconclusive and party sources said Congress wanted a decent number of assembly seats.

TNCC Chief K S Alagiri dismissed speculation that the party would walk out of the DMK-led alliance, saying it was a 'making of the media."

"We dont have faith on the third front. At present we are consulting our party members," he told reporters after meeting his party leaders.

Confirming that discussions with DMK would resume, Moily said "it (talks) have not yet reached a stalemate... The differences will be sorted out."

To a query on the group of 23 dissenting Congress leaders holding a separate meeting recently, he said "there is no such thing as G 23 or G 24."

the Congress is totally united under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and she has always heard grievances and taken action on them, he said.