"DMK, Congress spreading propaganda to distract from their own alliance issues": TTV Dhinakaran

Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 25 (ANI): Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazhagam (AMMK) General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran said that there is uncertainity betwen DMK and Congress in Tamil Nadu and claimed that the opposition is spreading false claims about NDA's stability to distract attention from their own alliance issues.
He also highlighted the alliance between the BJP and contrasted it with DMK and Congress in Tamil Nadu.
Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Dhinakaran said, "We have joined the alliance led by the BJP at the national level, and in Tamil Nadu, we are aligned under the leadership of the AIADMK. In contrast, there is still no clear agreement between the DMK and the Congress. It remains uncertain whether that alliance will even continue in Tamil Nadu. To divert attention from this uncertainty, false propaganda is being spread against us, claiming that the NDA is weak and facing confusion.
"The truth is that the Congress party is demanding 35 to 40 seats and is also insisting on forming a coalition government. The DMK has not agreed to these demands, and it is unclear whether Congress will continue in that alliance... Regarding seat-sharing arrangements for our party, the Bharatiya Janata Party will hold discussions with the AIADMK and finalise them amicably".
Dhinakaran hit back at OPS, saying he's got the right to choose alliances, but can't drag Jayalalithaa's name into it.
He called out OPS's remarks about CM MK Stalin getting blessings from Amma and Puratchi Thalaivar as unacceptable.
He further said, "As far as O Panneerselvam is concerned, he has every right, in his personal capacity, to decide which alliance he wants to join or contest with. However, the remarks he made in the Legislative Assembly, suggesting that Stalin of the DMK would return to power with the blessings of Puratchi Thalaivar and Amma, are unacceptable to me and to any of Jayalalithaa's loyal supporters. We will not accept statements that bring disrepute to the legacy and honour of our leaders."
Panneerselvam paid floral tribute to the late former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa at his residence in Bodinayakanur at Theni district on her 78th birth anniversary a day earlier.
O Panneerselvam was expelled from the party after a leadership tussle with Edappadi K Palaniswami back in 2022.
In the run-up to the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections, a speculation of Panneerselvam joining the DMK camp made rounds in the political circles. Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran called it his "personal choice."
Nagendran said, "It is entirely O Panneerselvam's personal choice as to whom he wants to form an alliance with. I cannot give an answer for that. I do not know why O Panneerselvam met MK Stalin. Whether he met him as a courtesy call or to discuss allying, I am not aware. If a proper explanation comes regarding that meeting, then we can speak about."
The 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will go to the polls in the first half of 2026, where the MK Stalin-led alliance will look to project the 'Dravidian Model 2.0' for the win against the BJP-AIADMK alliance.
Actor-turned-politician Vijay's entry with his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is expected to turn the Tamil Nadu polls into a three-way contest.
In the 2021 polls, the DMK won 133 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls. Congress won 18, PMK won five, VCK won four, and others won eight seats. The Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), led by DMK, which consisted of Congress, won 159 seats collectively. While the NDA won 75 seats, the AIADMK emerged as the largest party in the alliance with 66 seats. (ANI)