- The DMK has rejected VCK's proposal to include TVK in the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu
- VCK had suggested Kerala and West Bengal-style alliance model supported by Congress to fight BJP
- DMK accused Congress of betrayal for allying with TVK post Tamil Nadu Assembly elections
The widening rift within the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu has come into sharper focus, with the DMK firmly rejecting calls by its former ally, the VCK, to bring MK Stalin's party and Chief Minister Vijay-led TVK under the national opposition alliance to jointly take on the BJP.
The latest flashpoint comes after VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan proposed a Kerala and West Bengal-style arrangement, where parties that are rivals in state politics remain partners in the INDIA bloc at the national level. The proposal was soon backed by the Congress, which argued that opposition unity against the BJP should take precedence over state-level political differences.
But the DMK has dismissed the suggestion, accusing the Congress of betraying the alliance after the recent Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and making it clear that such a model is unlikely to work in the state's changed political landscape.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV, DMK MP Ganapathy P Rajkumar said the Congress had "backstabbed" the DMK by joining hands with the TVK merely to secure ministerial berths after the election. He said the Congress had failed to view the situation through the broader interests of the INDIA bloc and was now using the VCK as an "envoy" to persuade the DMK.
"I don't think the DMK leadership will accept the VCK's proposal. The Kerala and West Bengal model won't work in Tamil Nadu," he said.
Explaining the party's stand, Rajkumar argued that Tamil Nadu's politics had fundamentally changed with the emergence of the TVK as a third major force. Unlike Kerala, where the contest is largely between the Congress-led UDF and the Left-led LDF, or West Bengal, where the Trinamool Congress and the Congress remain rivals despite sharing space in the INDIA bloc nationally, Tamil Nadu now has a new political player occupying power.
He also questioned whether the TVK, which currently has no MPs in Parliament, should even be considered part of the INDIA bloc, saying the issue required serious reflection. At the same time, he maintained that the BJP remained the DMK's principal ideological opponent because it sought to weaken regional parties across states.
The DMK MP also acknowledged that the fallout between the DMK and the Congress had not been resolved and said rebuilding ties, if at all, would take time. He added that the Congress walking away from the DMK after nearly a decade had been a significant setback for the INDIA bloc.
The comments come against the backdrop of a dramatic political realignment following the Assembly election. Days after the DMK lost power, the Congress ended its nine-year alliance with the party and backed the TVK government, which had fallen short of a majority. The VCK and IUML joined the government, while the CPI and CPM extend outside support to the minority TVK government.
It was in this context that Thirumavalavan floated the idea of accommodating both the DMK and the TVK within the INDIA bloc, arguing that parties could remain electoral rivals in the state while staying united nationally against the BJP.
Congress MP Jothimani endorsed the proposal, saying the fight against the BJP required the broadest possible opposition unity.
"It's about India and its future. We are in troubling times. The BJP is trying to control every foundation of democracy. With issues like delimitation hanging over our heads, we need to walk together to save the country," she told NDTV, while adding that the question of the DMK's place in the INDIA bloc could be revisited if the TVK eventually secured representation in Parliament.
The DMK, however, remains unconvinced. Party spokesperson TKS Elangovan challenged the VCK to first persuade Chief Minister Vijay, who has repeatedly described the DMK as his principal political adversary.
"Thirumavalavan should speak to Chief Minister Vijay. He calls the DMK his political enemy. How can we be there?" Elangovan said.
With the Congress and VCK advocating a broader anti-BJP front and the DMK refusing to overlook what it sees as political betrayal, the debate has exposed deep cracks within the opposition camp in Tamil Nadu. It also underscores the challenge the INDIA bloc faces in balancing national compulsions with increasingly complex state-level rivalries ahead of future electoral battles.
