- The Congress backed Vijay's TVK, straining ties with longtime ally DMK in Tamil Nadu
- The DMK will skip the June 8 INDIA alliance meeting
- The DMK continues to support the alliance initiatives except those involving Congress
Post the Tamil Nadu elections, the Congress faced a dilemma: either to stick to its decades-old ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, or usher in change by backing Vijay's TVK and disrupting the deeply entrenched Dravidian duopoly. That the party walked the second path has now jeopardised the opposition's ambitious INDIA alliance in the state, with the DMK apparently punishing the Mallikarjun Kharge-led outfit for "betrayal".
Miffed with the Congress' decision to extend support to Vijay, the DMK has declared it will not attend the June 8 meeting of the bloc in Delhi. The MK Stalin-led party, however, stopped short of announcing an exit from the alliance, which is marked by internal contradiction similar to that of Tamil Nadu.
In a statement, the DMK clarified that while it won't attend alliance meetings attended by the Congress over the latter's "betrayal", it will support opposition initiatives championed by other parties in the bloc.
The DMK said in the statement that its cadres were deeply hurt by the Congress' post-election political realignment in Tamil Nadu.
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"Respecting the feelings of party workers who have been deeply hurt by the betrayal inflicted on the DMK by the Congress after the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the DMK will not participate in the INDIA alliance meeting to be held in Delhi on June 8, that is, a meeting in which the Congress is participating," the statement said.
Seeking to occupy the moral high ground, the DMK stressed that it had been one of the principal driving forces behind the INDIA bloc since its inception and had consistently opposed issues such as NEET, delimitation, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, One Nation One Election, the Waqf Act and amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
The party said it had fought these battles in Parliament, state assemblies, people's forums and courts.
It also highlighted the role of DMK president MK Stalin, saying he had been among the first leaders to raise several national issues affecting ordinary citizens.
"From the very beginning of the INDIA alliance, the DMK functioned as its central driving force," the statement said, adding that leaders of constituent parties were well aware of Stalin's role in voicing key public concerns.
"Even while not participating in this meeting, the DMK will always raise its voice on issues affecting the nation's welfare that are brought forward by other parties in the alliance," it added.
The announcement leaves several questions unanswered. It remains unclear whether the DMK's move is merely a symbolic protest against the Congress or the first step towards a broader disengagement from the INDIA bloc. It is also uncertain whether the party remains open to cooperation with Congress at the national level.
As far as the Congress is concerned, it has sent signals with its statements that it wants to engage with the DMK at the national capital. Girish Chodankar, the party in charge of Tamil Nadu, asserted that the DMK continued to remain part of the INDIA alliance.
Also read: Opinion | MK Stalin: The Strongman Who Underestimated His Opponent - And Paid The Price
The Congress extended support of its five MLAs when Vijay's TVK was struggling to cobble together an alliance to hit the majority mark. After becoming the Chief Minister, Vijay rewarded the party by inducting two MLAs into his Cabinet.
Despite having the numbers to field its own nominee for the lone Rajya Sabha vacancy from Tamil Nadu, the ruling TVK chose to allot the seat to the Congress. The move was widely seen as an indication that the TVK was reluctant to wade into national opposition politics.
Political observers say the decision may have been aimed at keeping a door open for future cooperation between the DMK and the Congress within the INDIA bloc, even as the two parties remain rivals in Tamil Nadu.
The development also casts fresh attention on reports of the DMK exploring a broader platform of non-Congress opposition parties, potentially involving the All India Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal. For now, however, the Left parties - CPI and CPM - which support the TVK government from outside in Tamil Nadu, continue to remain part of the INDIA alliance.
Whether the DMK's boycott is a temporary expression of anger or the beginning of a wider political realignment within the opposition camp could become clearer after the June 8 meeting. For now, the party appears keen to signal that while it remains committed to issues championed by the INDIA bloc, its relationship with the Congress has entered a turbulent new phase.
