The DMK on Monday said it had walked out of the INDIA bloc following the Congress's alleged betrayal and was under no obligation to participate in agitations led by the party, asserting that it would chart an independent political course.
In a strongly worded statement, the Dravidian party blamed Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) chief B Manickam Tagore and other Congress leaders, including Girish Chodankar and Praveen Chakravarthy, for contributing to the electoral defeat of the DMK-led alliance.
The DMK alleged that their repeated remarks against the party had undermined the alliance's unity and damaged its public image.
“While being part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, the comments made by some Congress party cadres like Manickam Tagore, Girish Chodankar, and Praveen Chakravarthy about the DMK every day were also a reason. Due to this, the reputation and unity of the alliance was questioned in the public arena,” it said.
Accusing sections of the Congress of working against the alliance's interests, the DMK described them as a “sleeper cell of another party” and alleged that their actions had undermined the efforts of Congress leaders who had worked for the alliance's success.
The party also warned Tagore against making what it termed baseless allegations about its stand on the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, cautioning that continued attacks would have “serious consequences”.
The DMK said it had quit the INDIA bloc after the Congress allegedly breached alliance ethics in pursuit of ministerial positions. The rupture followed the Congress's support for government formation under Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in May.
“Following the betrayal by the Congress parasites against the DMK, breaching alliance ethics for the sake of ministerial berths, the DMK walked out of the India alliance,” it said.
Claiming that public support for the party had grown since it shed what it called political liabilities, the DMK cited recent by-election results as evidence.
The party also targeted the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and Vijay, accusing them of suppressing youth protests against the SIR in Tamil Nadu. It questioned why Congress leaders, including Tagore, had not criticised Vijay's stand on the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), while continuing to attack the DMK.
Reiterating its role in building anti-BJP coalitions in Tamil Nadu during two consecutive parliamentary elections, the DMK said it needed no lessons from the Congress on political courage or alliance strategy.
“Our path is an independent one,” it said, asking Congress leaders to focus on their own alliance dynamics instead of targeting parties that were no longer part of their coalition.
(With inputs from PTI)