CHENNAI: In what appeared to be its first direct and scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi since the two parties parted ways, the DMK accused the leader of being solely responsible for undermining the unity of the INDIA bloc across the country.
The editorial of the DMK mouthpiece Murasoli, on Monday, said Rahul Gandhi was forced to release his speech at the INDIA bloc meeting many days after the event because the criticisms levelled by alliance partners against the Congress had gained considerable traction in the public domain.
The DMK mouthpiece said that the Left parties, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and others have made strong criticisms of Rahul Gandhi’s conduct, alleging that he acted in a manner that weakened opposition unity. “Rahul Gandhi did not anticipate this reaction. At a meeting convened to discuss opposition to the BJP, criticism against the Congress dominated the proceedings,” Murasoli said.
Stating that what happened in TN is well-known, Murasoli charged that the political betrayals committed by the Congress while remaining in alliance with the DMK were carried out with Rahul Gandhi’s blessing. “Today, Rahul Gandhi is attempting to portray himself as a model ally since the leader of the party with which Congress has now aligned in TN had openly signalled that he would not join the INDIA bloc,” the Murasoli added.
Charging that in every state that went to Assembly elections, the Congress employed every possible tactic to prevent its alliance partners from coming to power, Murasoli said, “After doing so, is it not shameful to seek their support again when the parliamentary elections approach?”