Hectic activities are on in the DMK camp to finalise the sharing of the 39 Lok Sabha seats from the State for the upcoming general election. The DMK has already agreed to give the lone seat from Puducherry to the Congress, according to party insiders. Sources in the DMK told this newspaper that the party would allocate seven Lok Sabha seats from the State to the Congress. “The CPI-M, the CPI and the VCK would get one seat each while the DMK would contest the remaining 29 seats,” said the source.
If the alliance to be floated by Pattali Makkal Katchi, which may include some of the caste groups, joins the DMK camp, the party would release four seats to that group. “The DMK would like to contest at least 25 seats while accommodating as many alliance partners as possible,” said the source privy to the discussions.
Meanwhile, MK Stalin, DMK president, had some special visitors at Anna Arivalayam, the party headquarters in Chennai on Monday morning.
A delegation of RSS leaders, a bête noire of Stalin, called on the DMK chief and held discussions with him for nearly 25 minutes.
The RSS delegation consisted of Prof Kumaraswamy, Tamil Nadu president, PM Ravikumar, State organiser and Sambamurthy, State executive member.
In a gesture of goodwill, the RSS leaders handed over to Stalin a copy of the message adopted by the RSS all India meet held at Mumbai condoling the passing away of the DMK patriarch and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.
“We discussed with Stalin the good rapport the Sangh had with Shri Karunanidhiji. While he was the chief minister of the State, Shri Karunanidhiji had helped as in organising the pathsanchalan (route march) of the Sangh and Shri Stalin heard it with rapt attention,” Prof Kumaraswamy told The Pioneer after the meeting. He said it was a cordial meeting ..
The Sangh leaders also presented Stalin with copies of the speech delivered by RSS chief Dr Mohan Bhagawat during the three-day seminar held at New Delhi, a coffee table book on the Sangh and also some of the Sangh publocations for his reading.
Senior leaders of the DMK, K Ponmudi and T R Balu were present during the meeting. Stalin has been severely attacking the BJP and RSS since he was anointed as the party president on August 29 following the passing away of Karunanidhi . The meeting between the DMK leadership and RSS delegation is keenly watched by political commentators.
“You cannot rule out anything in Tamil Nadu politics. The BJP has not given up the idea of forging an alliance with the DMK and may employ all tricks for the same,” said Sam Rajappa, veteran commentator.