Chennai, February 17 TNCC chief K Selvaperunthagai said on Tuesday that the Congress high command was "monitoring those who are violating" its directive to refrain from commenting on power-sharing with the DMK and would decide on the appropriate course of action.
Responding to MP Manickam Tagore's persistent demand for a share in power with the DMK, Selvaperunthagai stated that party members had been instructed not to discuss alliances in public forums.
"Our leaders—Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and K C Venugopal—have instructed us not to publicly express our views. I don't know if anyone is more senior than these leaders in the Congress," he emphasized.
When asked about his meeting with Kharge in Bengaluru, the TNCC president told reporters here, "Our high command asked about the situation on the ground in Tamil Nadu. I explained the current situation and the political climate in the state."
Regarding Tagore's insistence on power-sharing, he said, "My stance is the same as that of the high command. Party members should refrain from expressing their views in public."
When asked to comment on Tagore's justification of his plea and his claim that both he and Selvaperunthagai were like brothers, the latter replied, "Even you and I are brothers—one is older, and the other is younger. And I don't fight."
Earlier in the day, Manickam Tagore told reporters in Madurai that there were no differences between him and Selvaperunthagai, and that they were like an elder and younger brother.
The MP claimed that the Congress high command was "aware of the demand for a share in power with the DMK."
