By IANS,
Chennai : In an obvious attempt to dispel doubts of fissures between them, the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry units of the Congress promised greater cooperation with the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam here Sunday.
“We will cooperate with Tamil Nadu to the best extent possible and bring the electricity shortfall here to the notice of the centre shortly,” Puducherry Chief Minister V. Vaidyalingam told reporters after seeking the blessings of his counterpart here – M. Karunanidhi.
During the same interaction with the press, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.V. Thangkabalu decried opposition leader Jayalalitha’s calls for the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the nuclear issue saying: “She has no locus standi or political propriety to do so.”
Hedging questions about prevailing dissidence within the Congress camp in Puducherry, Vaidyalingam expressed hope that all matters would soon be sorted out to the satisfaction of his party’s high command.
After a separate meeting with Karunanidhi, Union Minister of State G.K. Vasan defended the measures initiated by the Tamil Nadu government to combat the power shortfall.
“Electricity shortages are common in all parts of the country during this season. It is prevalent in Puducherry too. The state government is doing its utmost to solve the problems,” Vasan added.
A section within the Tamil Nadu Congress legislature party is rumoured to be pressing for inclusion in the state cabinet after the DMK regime was weakened following the exit of the 18-member PMK and 15-member left group of legislators that had supported the 95-legislator minority regime in the state.