The Congress will head the alliance in Tamil Nadu for the Lok Sabha elections and the party is in negotiation with many regional parties in the State. But a right decision will be taken at the appropriate time, E.M. Sudharshana Nachiappan, Union Minister of State for Industries and Commerce, said here on Friday.
Mr. Nachiappan said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would not win even 100 seats because its chances of getting substantial votes were restricted to seven States in the North. Elsewhere, the regional parties had leaders with Prime Ministerial aspirations. Therefore, the BJP would not be able to garner their support.
On Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (MDMK) decision to align with the BJP, Mr. Nachiappan said MDMK general secretary Vaiko was known for taking wrong decisions at the time of elections.
Asked about the reasons for the defeat of the Congress in the recent Assembly elections in five States, he said it was due to the failure of the party in projecting its achievements.
The Congress is now working on a strategy to showcase its achievements before the people during the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, he said.
On the issue of Tamil Eelam, Mr. Nachiappan accused the regional parties in Tamil Nadu of raising it for political mileage whereas the Congress was committed to ensuring rehabilitation of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
