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Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K Selvaperunthagai said on Friday that Alliance talks between the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) are set to begin on February 22, asserting that the INDIA bloc remains united despite the BJP's attempts to "split the vote bank" by pulling someone out of the alliance.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai, Selvaperunthagai said negotiations with the DMK were progressing smoothly ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. "The election process is going very, very smoothly. Negotiations are ongoing, and we are going to start on February 22. Nothing the BJP is thinking will happen. The BJP wants to pull someone out of the INDIA alliance to split the vote bank, but it will not happen. We are intact with the alliance," Selvaperunthagai told reporters. When asked about TVK chief Vijay's recent remark that "SOP" in Tamil Nadu stands for "Stalin Operating Procedure" in Salem rally on Friday," Selvaperunthagai said similar procedures applied to all parties. Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's proposed visit to Tamil Nadu, he said, "We have given notice for our leader Rahul Gandhi's visit in the last week of February. We applied for it a month ago. They said they would review and grant permission after 30 days. We accepted the SOP. Everyone should accept it because the people's security and safety are very, very important." Commenting on the recent accident in Salem that claimed one life, Selvaperunthagai alleged lapses in arrangements at public events. "They continuously do things like this. Forty-one people died in Karur, and one person died here. Even when the DMK held a meeting with more than 1.75 lakh cadres, there were no deaths or casualties. We must provide minimum facilities such as water, seating areas, and secure locations. They should follow this in the future," he said. The TNCC chief also criticised Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran over reported comments concerning TVK chief and actor Vijay and actor Trisha. "Why is he talking about Trisha? BJP has a lot of work; they are the ruling party at the Centre. Why are they talking about Trisha, about personal life? It is not fair," Selvaperunthagai said. On the Tamil Nadu government depositing funds into the bank accounts of 1.31 crore women, Selvaperunthagai said the move would positively impact voters. "Definitely. People are welcoming it. Most rural people are in deep poverty; there is drought and no proper rain. So this gift will be very helpful to poor people," he said. Selvaperunthagai also welcomed the announcement to increase the monthly allowance to 2,000 under a proposed "Dravidian Model 2.0" government. "Congress has already made a statement on this. We welcome what our Honourable Chief Minister announced - 2,000 per month as 'Women's Rights Money.' Rural women's empowerment should be increased," he said. Dismissing Opposition claims that the move was driven by "election fear," Selvaperunthagai asked, "If he announced 2,000, does he not also have election fear? He already announced it, didn't he?" Meanwhile, on Friday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced that Rs 3,000 had been deposited in advance for February, March and April, along with a Rs 2,000 "summer special package," taking the total to Rs 5,000 for 1.31 crore beneficiaries this month. He asserted that his government acted ahead of attempts to "block" the scheme due to the upcoming polls and promised that under "Dravidian Model 2.0," the Rs 1,000 monthly assistance would be doubled to Rs 2,000 if re-elected. However, the timing of the announcement, ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, led to criticism from Opposition parties. The 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will go to the polls in the first half of 2026. In 2021, the DMK secured 133 seats, leading the Secular Progressive Alliance to victory, while the AIADMK won 66 seats. (ANI)
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