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NEW DELHI: Amid rising speculation over different views within the party over its alliance with DMK, the Congress’ top brass led by party President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday gave a clear directions to its leaders from Tamil Nadu to “maintain discipline and refrain from making statements including on social media on these matters”. They have been advised to “speak in one voice in line with party decisions” to avoid speculation.The directive came at a meeting at the party headquarters in the national Capital on chalking out a strategy for the upcoming assembly polls in Tamil Nadu where they “unanimously” entrusted Congress President and leader of opposition on taking decisions. The clear direction asking members to “speak in one voice” gains significance as it came amid rising speculation over two different viewpoints within the party over alliance with DMK – one pitching for the fact that the party should negotiate for a power sharing arrangement with DMK if the alliance wins to form govt and another view being that the party should explore an alliance with actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazagham (TVK) looking at the larger prospects of the Congress in states like Kerala which too goes to polls at the same time around May.Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge chaired the meeting that was attended by former party chief Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal, Tamil Nadu Congress chief K Selvaperunthagai, MPs P Chidambaram, Manickam Tagore, Karti Chidambaram, and Professionals’ Congress chief Praveen Chakravarty, among others.Emerging from the meeting that lasted for nearly three and half hours, Venugopal said, “Today Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had a detailed and very fruitful discussion with senior leaders and party leadership of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.” “We had a collective meeting and also one to one meeting with leaders from the state. The leadership patiently listened to all opinions and leaders were given full opportunity to express their views. The discussion was constructive and focussed on strengthening the party and its future strategy in Tamil Nadu,” he added.He emphasised that the meeting has “unanimously” entrusted Congress President and leader of opposition on taking decisions. “With regards to the election strategy related matters the party high command will take an appropriate decision on due course keeping in mind the large interest of the party ideology and the people of Tamil Nadu,” Venugopal said.He also said that the party high command has issued a “clear directive to all leaders to maintain discipline and refrain from making statements including on social media on these matters. Leaders have been advised to avoid speculation and speak in one voice in line with party decisions.”When asked about what was the party’s stance on the view within the Congress on seeking a power sharing arrangement with DMK, Venugopal reiterated his statement adding that “concerns of the 40 plus leaders present at the meeting were heard individually and collectively. There are different views and we have heard them and certainly in due course whatever discussion held today will be the guideline for future decisions.”Sharing a video clip from the meeting held at the AICC headquarters – Indira Bhawan, in a post on X Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, “we are confident that the people of Tamil Nadu would choose equality, social justice, empowerment and good governance over bigotry, sectarianism, anti-federal and discriminatory politics of the RSS-BJP.”“The Congress party is determined to play an important role in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of the state,” he said.Meanwhile, it is learnt from sources that Rahul Gandhi focused on listening more at the meeting, and left it to Kharge to articulate the directions issued to TN leaders on ensuring that the members speak in one voice.
