CHENNAI: Breaking its silence on the results of the Assembly elections in five states, the ruling DMK in an editorial in the Murasoli, its mouthpiece, on Monday gently rebuked the Congress blaming its alliance partner’s “lethargic attitude” in bringing opposition parties together for its poll debacle.
The editorial added that opposition unity is much needed to unseat the BJP from the Centre.
Coming three days after the results were announced, the editorial has raised many an eyebrow as the DMK has remained a staunch supporter of the national party.
It began by saying the DMK is neither surprised nor shocked at the election results and that BJP has retained its governments in states where it was in power.
In Punjab, the editorial argued the voters paid no heed to the BJP’s efforts as it won only two seats. In Uttar Pradesh, BJP had bagged fewer seats than the in the last Assembly election.
While the vote share of BJP increased by just two per cent, Samajwadi Party’s (SP) vote share rose by 10 per cent, it said.
It claimed that if the Bahujan Samaj Party and SP had joined hands before the polls, the BJP would not have been able to retain power.
Further, the editorial attributed the BJP’s victory to its religious and divisive politics. Quoting Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s statement that she is ready to ally with any party but the BJP, the editorial argues that the poll outcome is a result of what the grand old party did not do.
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It recalled that Chief Minister MK Stalin had urged Congress scion Rahul Gandhi to form an all-India alliance during his campaign visit to Salem.
Political observer and veteran journalist, Tharasu Shyam, said there were two messages in the editorial.
First, DMK will not support any third front and, second, Congress has to take steps to form an alliance against the BJP, as it did ahead of the 2004 and 2009 elections, he said. “I think DMK will be a crucial player in linking regional parties and the Congress.
They should invite all the opposition party chief ministers for the inauguration of the DMK’s Delhi office,” he said.
Veteran journalist, D Karthik, said Stalin should take the effort to put together an anti-BJP coalition as his father M Karunanidhi did.