CHENNAI: The growing differences between the DMK and CPM came to the fore over the last two days, with the Left party launching fresh attacks on the DMK through social media posts on Wednesday. The developments come amid increasing political distance between the two parties.
The latest exchange began after Murasoli, the DMK’s official mouthpiece, criticised CPM state secretary P Shanmugam on Tuesday, followed by a subsequent article on Wednesday titled ‘The real face of P Shanmugam’, further intensifying tension. The articles accused him of taking a stand that could weaken the Dravidian movement and questioned his recent political remarks.
The editorial also invoked the Vachathi case and recalled how Shanmugam who once fought for the rights of women in the Vachathi case, is now part of the TVK, where K A Sengottaiyan, who once mocked and allegedly conspired to kill Shanmugam, is a minister.
A day later, on Wednesday, the CPM responded with a post on X carrying an image of a snake gourd and a caption stating that the party had never followed “policy-less politics” involving the BJP, DMK and AIADMK.
The CPM further alleged that the DMK was playing a double game, stating that the party’s stand differed “inside and outside”. The remarks added a new dimension to the ongoing exchange between the two allies-turned-rivals.
Later in the evening, the CPM shared another strongly-worded post targeting Murasoli columnist P Thirumavelan. The party said he should not teach Marxist political theory and instead explain to the DMK why it was wrong to amend labour laws related to the eight-hour workday.
It may be recalled that during the last few days, the CPM had accused the DMK of attempting to support the AIADMK government to prevent the TVK from forming the new government in the state, triggering political debate and drawing attention across party circles.
Though the CPM is not formally aligned with any political party and is only extending outside support to the TVK government, its criticism of the DMK has become increasingly sharp in recent weeks. Political observers believe the continuing war of words indicates that the possibility of a future political understanding between the DMK and CPM is becoming increasingly remote.