Cong ends ties with DMK, promises to go with TVK in all future polls

The Congress and the DMK could still co-exist in the INDIA bloc, formed to take on the BJP electorally at the national level. Congress leaders pointed out that the Left parties, TMC and the Congress itself remain in the bloc despite contesting against each other in states.

The Congress decision, however, will cast doubts on unity and cohesion in the INDIA bloc as some of the constituents in the bloc are viewing it as an opportunistic move. While the DMK accused the Congress of backstabbing, the Congress defended the move.

The Congress and the DMK had come together way back in 2004 when they contested the Lok Sabha election in alliance and trounced the AIADMK. And since then the two parties had been together barring a brief period after the DMK walked out of the UPA government over the Sri Lankan Tamil issue in 2013, which forced the Congress to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections alone. Its candidates lost in all constituencies, 38 of them losing their deposits. The parties revived their alliance ahead of the 2016 Assembly elections.

Sources said the unanimous view of the state leadership of the Congress was in favour of joining hands with the TVK. The view was that the coming together should not be limited to the Congress extending support to the TVK and securing cabinet berths in return but it should be done with a long-term perspective. It is a political gamble for the Congress. The sense in the party is that the electoral momentum will continue with Vijay, and the Congress will benefit by aligning with it in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

Girish Chodankar, AICC leader in charge of Tamil Nadu, said,

“This alliance between the TVK and the Tamil Nadu Congress will strive to bring back ‘Perunthalaivar’ Kamaraj’s glory days of Tamil Nadu, with a strong commitment to Thanthai Periyar’s social justice ideals and Dr B R Ambedkar’s constitutional ideals in the years and decades to come. This alliance, founded on mutual respect, appropriate share, and shared responsibility between the two parties, is not only for the formation of this government, but also for future elections to the local body organisations, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.”

The Congress’s decision to support the TVK, however, is contingent on Vijay’s party not having any truck with the BJP. “Our support shall be conditional upon the TVK keeping out from this alliance any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India,” Chodankar said.

Incidentally, the Congress high command’s position on the issue Tuesday was that the party “is determined not to have the BJP and its proxies run the government of Tamil Nadu in any manner.” The party, however, did not mention “proxies” in its official statement amid reports that the TVK was in talks with the AIADMK.

Vijay and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi spoke during the day. Vijay thanked Rahul for extending his party’s support and invited him for the oath-taking ceremony. Rahul, sources said, has agreed to attend.

The Congress was keen to be on Vijay’s side given that the TVK was also in talks with the AIADMK. It wanted to seal a deal as quickly as possible as the Congress believes Vijay’s party is ideologically compatible. Rahul and Vijay had been in touch for some time. Vijay had telephoned Rahul to wish him on his birthday last year and then Rahul had spoken to him after the Karur stampede.

“The people of Tamil Nadu, especially the youth, have delivered a very clear, strong and overwhelming verdict for a secular, progressive and welfarist government that believes in constitutional principles. They have chosen the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) led by Mr Vijay to form the next government. The Indian National Congress stands for, and is the founding political party for, secular, progressive and welfarist politics in India. It is our constitutional duty to respect, uphold and help fulfil this mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu. Accordingly, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) has decided to extend its full support to the TVK to form the government,” Chodankar said.

The relationship between the DMK and the Congress has been showing friction for a while now, with Rahul Gandhi and DMK chief M K Stalin, once quite warm towards each other, not having shared the stage during campaigning.

It all began after a section of the Congress in Tamil Nadu, sensing the changing political winds, began putting pressure on the high command to explore the option of switching sides. The ties soured further after the DMK flatly refused the Congress’s demand for a share in power in the event of the alliance coming to power. The DMK, on the other hand, was upset that the Congress high command, especially Rahul, was silent on muscle flexing by some of the state Congress leaders.

The DMK understood that Gandhi too had been open to exploring a seat-sharing pact with Vijay, but the alliance could not materialise as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the Tamil Nadu leadership then were keen to continue with the DMK.

With the TVK emerging as the single largest party and taking a shot at power, the Congress-DMK split was inevitable. Asked about the DMK’s charge that the Congress indulged in backstabbing, the party’s media department head Pawan Khera said, “In December 2013, DMK did a press conference and announced that it will contest alone in the Lok Sabha elections. Was that backstabbing? No. This is also not backstabbing. Two like-minded parties are forming the government to stop BJP.”

The Congress’s statement also mentions Vijay and Rahul, saying they “jointly pledge to respect this historic verdict of the people of Tamil Nadu for a secular and progressive government, and to fulfil the dreams and promises of the people especially the youth of Tamil Nadu.”