Alliance with Congress intact: M K Stalin
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday said that the alliance between the DMK and the Congress is intact, dismissing reports of fissures between the two parties.
He also rejected the possibility of a coalition government in Tamil Nadu, shutting the door for the Congress party, some of whose senior leaders have been raising the matter.
Making it clear that there was no confusion, Stalin, who is also the DMK chief, said, "Sharing power in the government does not suit Tamil Nadu. The Congress also knows that very well."
"Some people are stirring up the issue of power-sharing just to cause a rift in the alliance. That tactic will not work," he said at an event here.
"Rumors of confusion in the alliance are being spread deliberately. Beyond politics, I look at (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi as a brother. He also looks at me the same way," Stalin said.
"The DMK-Congress alliance is in harmony. What others are expecting (split) will not happen," he said.
He maintained that the forthcoming polls in Tamil Nadu would not be more difficult than the 2021 Assembly election for the DMK to emerge victorious.
Stalin said some of the schemes introduced by the state government are being followed by the Centre, and pointed out the 'Thozhi' hostels scheme.
The Thozhi hostels scheme seeks to address the challenges faced by women migrating from their hometowns to work in cities.
Managed by the Department of Social Welfare and Women Development, the hostels provide safe, affordable and quality accommodation for working women across the state.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
