Once Seen As Potential Allies, Congress, TVK Trade Barbs As Polls Approach

The Congress and actor-politician Vijay's TVK, once seen as potential allies for the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, are now trading barbs as the April 23 election approaches and battle lines are drawn. TVK general secretary Aadhav Arjuna's remark that the Congress is divided into two factions in Tamil Nadu has drawn a sharp response from the Congress's Manickam Tagore.

Just a month ago, the political equations between the Congress and TVK were different. There was strong speculation about an alliance between the two for the state polls.

The Congress was seen leveraging its talks with TVK to bargain for a better seat-sharing deal with its longstanding ally DMK. On several occasions, TVK's Aadhav Arjuna praised Rahul Gandhi, calling him a young and dynamic leader and hinting at an alliance in the works.

However, after weeks of negotiations, the Congress eventually finalised its alliance with the DMK, bringing an end to all speculation. TVK, which considers the DMK its political rival and the BJP its ideological opponent, chose to go solo.

TVK chief Vijay and his party leaders largely refrained from directly criticising the Congress until now. In fact, Rahul Gandhi was among the first leaders to reach out to Vijay following the Karur stampede tragedy. But with elections approaching, the tone has shifted.

At a recent meeting, Aadhav Arjuna claimed dissatisfaction within the Congress ranks and said Congress's several state general secretaries are waiting to join TVK. He said that the Congress is split into two groups -- one aligned with Rahul Gandhi, and an "old guard" that prefers an alliance with the DMK. He accused this "old guard" of political opportunism.

Congress's Tagore hit back strongly. He asserted that the Congress functions as a united family and warned that those who do not believe in the party's ideology have no place in it. He reiterated that the party continues to follow the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and the people-centric governance model of K Kamaraj. He also said that "irresponsible statements will not go unanswered".

This comes at a time when internal tremors within the Congress have surfaced. State Congress chief K Selvaperunthagai recently suspended the party's state general secretary Selvam, who is likely to join the TVK.

While the DMK-led alliance and the AIADMK-led NDA have already finalised seat-sharing and started announcing candidates, TVK is gearing up for a solo contest. Party chief Vijay is expected to release the first phase of candidates tomorrow.