Is DMK–Congress alliance under strain? Seat-sharing, power pact, and the Vijay question
DMK Congress alliance: As Congress's Lok Sabha Whip Manickam Tagore reminds DMK that "every party needs allies", others in party say Stalin-led party has been sitting on its seat-sharing proposal for over a month.
DMK Congress alliance: Rahul Gandhi enjoys an excellent relationship with Stalin, said a Congress leader. (File Photo) DMK Congress alliance: Tamil Nadu, along with West Bengal, is one of the states going to polls this year where the Opposition is on a stronger footing than the BJP, but a sense of uneasiness has crept into the DMK-led alliance as a section of the Congress pushes for more seats and a bigger share in power.
This comes amid indications from actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) that the party considers Congress its “natural ally” and restlessness in a section of the Congress about its failure to expand its organisational footprint in the state despite being part of a winning coalition.
On December 28, Congress data analytics head Praveen Chakravarty first stirred things up by describing Tamil Nadu’s debt position as “alarming”, citing its absolute outstanding liabilities, rising interest burden, and debt-to-GSDP ratio. The DMK refused to get drawn into a public debate over the comments by Chakravarty, noting his recent meeting with Vijay and saying if the Congress had an issue, it should have flagged it internally. Even as former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram publicly reaffirmed the Congress’s commitment to the DMK-led alliance, Tagore, the party’s Lok Sabha Whip, on Monday said his demand for a bigger share in power stemmed from the fact that no party, “including the DMK, was poised to get a single majority”.
Congress sources said a group led by the All India Congress Committee state in-charge, Girish Chodankar, met Chief Minister M K Stalin on December 3 to discuss seat-sharing, but since then the DMK has been sitting on it. “The important thing is that we wanted to finalise seat-sharing by December 15. We want our top leaders to start campaigning soon. That can only happen when we know which seats we are contesting. We have learnt our lessons from Bihar and don’t want to repeat the same mistake where seat-sharing talks happen till the last moment,” said a leader in Tamil Nadu.
In Bihar, the Congress wanted more than 70 seats, and eventually settled for 61. But the elections saw several friendly fights and the grand alliance was swept away.
“In the opinion of the Congress workers, the alliance in the state should not end on seat sharing, it should include power sharing,” Tagore told The Indian Express on Tuesday. “Because no party in Tamil Nadu can win on its own, and every party needs allies. We gave power to the DMK in the Centre (during UPA tenure) and should have the same formula in the state. This is because the Congress wants to fulfil promises made to the people of Tamil Nadu.”
The number of seats the Congress has contested as part of the alliance has steadily declined, from 63 in 2011 to 41 five years later, and 25 in 2021. Its overall vote share has also declined from 9.3% in 2011, to 6.42% in 2016, to 4.27% in 2021.
‘Has anyone asked Sonia Gandhi?’
While all the Congress MPs from Tamil Nadu whom The Indian Express spoke to agreed that the party cadre were unhappy with how the alliance operates on the ground, they differ on the future of the alliance. While some are said to be mulling over the Vijay option, others say friction with the DMK on the ground does not mean giving up on the decades-old alliance.
“It is a fact that many among the Congress cadre believe they don’t get respect in the alliance. But that does not mean we should leave the alliance. In a marriage, divorce does not happen one fine morning. Couples fight, live separately and finally divorce. Here, there is no fight. There should be some reason to leave, at least a reason should be built. In the last five years, we have never criticised the DMK government. On what ground will we leave?” asked one MP.
About the TVK, another MP said, “No one knows where he stands in the ideological fight. How can we align with such a person? We cannot lose the small ideological capital we have in Tamil Nadu. Where he will be tomorrow and what he will be, only God knows. We cannot look like opportunists.”
The MP pointed out that former president Sonia Gandhi had stitched together the alliance with the DMK in 2004, adding, “Has anyone asked her? Will anyone even dare to go and ask her? We have become a laughing stock in Tamil Nadu. The state president is not able to control those who are giving public statements. Delhi is also not intervening.”The Congress leader said Leader of Opposition RahulGandhi also enjoys an “excellent relationship with Stalin”. “He calls him brother. Tomorrow, if we align with the TVK, will he share the stage with Vijay, who has called the DMK an evil force? Does anyone know what Rahul is thinking?”
Another MP said there was “no reason to go with a bad alliance even if we think the present alliance is not benefitting us”.
DMK leaders said the Congress was seeking seats beyond its capacity and footprint. The party was ready to give the Congress around 25-30 seats, but the Congress wants 10 more, said a DMK MP, adding, “We will talk to the Congress high command regarding this issue and are awaiting a meeting.”
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