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Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress general secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu, asserted on Monday that there was no compromise in his party's stance on the Pattali Makkal Katchi finding a place in the state government in Pondicherry after the assembly poll in the Union territory.
Addressing reporters at his South Avenue residence in New Delhi on Monday evening, Azad said, "This is the bottom line. We are not going to compromise as far as the inclusion of the PMK in the state government after the assembly poll is concerned. We have conveyed this message through the Tamil Maanila Congress."
Azad said the Congress had nine seats in the outgoing assembly of 30 while the DMK had 10. The TMC six, AIADMK three and PMK just one. There was therefore no question of conceding ground to the PMK.
Regarding the assembly election in Tamil Nadu, he said All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief J Jayalalitha had already said that only her party would form the state government.
Azad said TMC chief G K Moopanar was still talking to J Jayaliltha on behalf of the Congress. The number of seats given to them was negotiable, he said.
"The TMC and the Congress are committed to each other in the tie-up for the Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry assembly polls," he said.
But he added that if the TMC went and formed an alliance with the AIADMK without including the Congress, the Congress would form a third front with the Dalit Panthers, Makkal Tamil Desam and New Justice Party.
"The Congress will chalk out its strategy after Jayalalitha announces the seat adjustments with her allies in Tamil Nadu," Azad added.
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