A sharp political rift has opened up in Tamil Nadu after the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam publicly attacked its ally Indian National Congress for moving to support Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in the race to form the next government.
The DMK’s frustration was laid bare by spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai, who labelled Congress leaders “backstabbers,” underlining how dramatically ties have deteriorated after the election results.
DMK feels sidelined
Annadurai argued that Congress’s limited success in the Assembly was made possible only because of Chief Minister M K Stalin and the alliance structure. He also pointed out that Stalin had backed Rahul Gandhi politically at a time when he was under attack from rivals.
The outburst followed a late-night signal from Congress leadership, with K C Venugopal allowing the Tamil Nadu unit to take a final call on post-poll alignments — effectively clearing the path for a shift.
Congress pivots to TVK
Soon after, the Congress state unit reportedly decided to extend conditional support to TVK. The move is said to include negotiations over cabinet positions and key posts in boards and corporations. A formal communication is expected, with Congress MLAs likely to meet Vijay in Panaiyur.
TVK, which has already indicated it has secured backing, is working to stitch together numbers after emerging as the single largest party with 108 seats — just 11 short of a majority in the 234-member House.
New power equations
Having ruled out any alliance with the BJP, TVK is now reaching out to parties that were earlier part of the DMK-led front, including VCK, CPI, CPI(M) and IUML, each holding a small but crucial presence.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram is believed to be playing a key role in facilitating talks between the two sides.
Alliance cracks widen
The tensions between Congress and the DMK had been building even before the elections, particularly over disagreements on power-sharing. The current shift, however, marks a clear break, with both sides now openly at odds.
An earlier appeal by S A Chandrasekhar — urging Congress to back Vijay and regain lost political ground — now appears to be aligning with the party’s strategy.
What lies ahead
With Congress moving toward TVK and the DMK reacting sharply, Tamil Nadu’s political landscape is undergoing a rapid realignment. Government formation talks are still unfolding, but one thing is clear — the old alliance equations have been decisively shaken, setting the stage for a new and uncertain phase in state politics.
Comments are closed.