Having very good relationship with DMK, says Rahul amid cracks in alliance in Puducherry

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi onMonday affirmed his party's alliance with the M K Stalin-ledDMK in Tamil Nadu, saying ''we are having a very goodrelationship'' with the Dravidian party.

The former Congress President's assertion comes amidstrains in the parties' alliance in neighbouring Puducherryand whether it would have a bearing on their electoral tie upin Tamil Nadu.

''We are having a very good relationship with DMK. Wehave full respect for (late DMK chief M) Karunanidhi, fullrespect for Stalin ji and we have full faith in thealliance,'' he told reporters.

Gandhi was responding to queries over 'issues' in thealliance between the two parties in Puducherry.

Last week, cracks appeared to have developed in thedecade-old alliance between the ruling Congress and DMK inthe union territory just months ahead of the assembly polls,with senior leader S Jagathratchagan of the Dravidian partypitching for contesting all 30 seats.

The DMK has also been of late distancing itself from theCongress in the UT, leading to speculations that all is notwell between the two.

However, Gandhi on Monday said that ''the aim of the(DMK-Congress) alliance is to stop the RSS ideology fromcoming into Tamil Nadu.'' He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wascontrolling the Tamil Nadu government by remote and ''we aregoing to take away its batteries'' in the coming elections,likely in April-May.