Karti seeks respect, more seats for Cong in TN

5th May 2010 - Indian Express (Press Release)

Adopting an aggressive stance over coalition equation in the state, AICC member Karti P Chidambaram said the Congress should be allotted at least 78 seats in the coming Assembly polls - two per each of the 39 Lok Sabha seats and way above the 48 Assembly seats it had won the last time. "The Congress no longer requires an alliance that does not give respect," he said. Maintaining that he personally wished the alliance with the DMK to continue, the son of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said the Congress was only supporting the state government and not participating in it and that as an independent political outfit it would criticise the ruling party's mistakes and support its good initiatives.   Karti was speaking at a meeting organised to felicitate the winners of the election to various posts of Youth Congress at Dindigul on Monday evening.   According to him, while the state government was successful in publicising the DMK's name using schemes like free colour TV and health insurance, not many in the public knew it was the Congress that played a major role in initiatives like employment guarantee scheme and education loans. "That it is the Congress who is taking measures to put such schemes in place should be highlighted among the public. Youth Congress members should tour villages to publicise it, only then will the party earn the respect of the public."    Sources said Karti's tough stance has a lot to do with the struggles within the TNCC, having just concluded election to the youth outfit.