Chennai, Feb 24 (PTI) AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam on Thursday slammed the Congress for commenting on the AIADMK's performance in the just concluded urban civic polls saying the party that rides piggyback on the DMK has no moral right to talk about the AIADMK, which had ruled Tamil Nadu for three decades.

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The Congress did not have confidence to contest elections alone as it has been out of power since 1967, the former Chief Minister claimed.

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"The Congress party, which rides piggyback (on the DMK) without being capable of contesting on its own, has no moral right to talk about the AIADMK," he said.

In a statement here, Panneerselvam alleged that TNCC chief K S Alagiri did not appear to be concerned about the shrinking presence of his party in the state but was needlessly commenting that the AIADMK had no future following its defeat in the urban civic polls.

"The Congress has not been able to rule Tamil Nadu for 55 years. It has been riding on the back of the DMK only to gain a few seats," Panneerselvam said.

The AIADMK is a huge people's movement and had ruled Tamil Nadu for 30 years, winning 6 of the 16 general elections to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly since 1952. The Congress party had ruled for 15 years while the DMK was in power for 22 years. Though the AIADMK has encountered temporary setbacks, past instances showed that his party always managed to bounce back, he said.

In the 2021 general elections, the AIADMK lost by a narrow margin. The DMK came to power. Everybody knew how the elections to the urban local bodies were held under the DMK rule, Panneerselvam said and alleged that Alagiri had criticised the AIADMK only to please the DMK leadership hoping for one or two mayoral and deputy mayoral posts.

He advised Alagiri to make constructive efforts to save the "sinking" Congress party and to take steps to contest elections alone in Tamil Nadu.

"The AIADMK will ensure a landslide victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)