Cong leader downplays Nehru's call to go solo in local body polls

Congress leader Karate R Thiagarajan on Saturday sought to downplay senior DMK leader K N Nehru's call to go solo in local body polls and said that the final call has to be taken by their party chiefs.

"I do not know how a senior DMK leader spoke like that. DMK president M K Stalin and our party leader have to take a call on such things," south Chennai Congress president Thiagarajan said here.

He said that Congress may not have been "No. 1" but it was certainly a deciding factor in the Lok Sabha elections.

"Next week, there is a no-confidence motion in the Assembly against the Speaker and the Congress' seven votes are crucial. We are going to support the DMK's resolution," he said.

He said that senior leadership of their parties shares a very good relationship, which was seen when Stalin invited UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to unveil Karunanidhi's statue.

The Congress leader further said: "Over 30 Congress MLAs supported the last DMK government in the state."

Earlier in the day, DMK's Nehru had said that the party should contest the municipal corporation elections all alone.

"It will be good if we contest the local body polls alone. How many days should we carry the palanquin for them," said Nehru.

However, the leader said: "It is my opinion but I will accept what my leader says. If he asks us to carry the Congress on our shoulders, we are ready."

Local body elections have been due since 2016 in Tamil Nadu and have been delayed owing to various reasons. DMK had filed a case in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court in this regard.

DMK and the Congress fought the Lok Sabha elections in an alliance. While DMK won 23 seats, the grand old party bagged eight out of total 38 seats in the state.