Minorities feel safer when Congress in DMK alliance: Karti Chidambaram

Minorities in Tamil Nadu felt safer when Congress was in the DMK alliance and the party added a secular sheen to the combine, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram claimed on Friday. Speaking at NDTVs Tamil Nadu Conclave, here, he said, Minorities feel safer when Congress is in the alliance.

Minorities in Tamil Nadu felt safer when Congress was in the DMK alliance and the party added a secular sheen to the combine, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram claimed on Friday. People accepted the Congress but not the BJP's leadership, the Sivaganga MP said. Despite the advantageous position, the Congress was not in any position to face elections alone in Tamil Nadu, he regretted. Speaking at NDTV's Tamil Nadu Conclave, here, he said, ''Minorities feel safer when Congress is in the alliance. The Congress adds a secular sheen to the alliance. The Congress is a multiplier in the alliance.'' He argued that alliances mattered in all elections. In Tamil Nadu, the BJP was rejected on many occasions and the BJP's alliance with AIADMK was ''a back-door entry in the state,'' he alleged. ''The BJP always tries very hard….BJP's version of Hindutva is very upper caste, Sanskritised, and vegetarian. That's not the practice of the faith here. Here people practice animal sacrifice in a temple,'' he said. On actor-politician Vijay, Karti said the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam had no ideological clarity or policy proclamation. ''There doesn't seem to be any kind of bench strength in his organisation. He (Vijay) has got many weaknesses. But to say he has no support, I will not agree,'' he said.

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