CHENNAI: The DMK is peeved with the Congress for not tying up with anti-BJP parties in the recent assembly polls held in five states. The ruling party in Tamil Nadu termed it as a missed opportunity to consolidate votes against the BJP.
Murasoli, the mouthpiece of DMK, highlighted Chief Minister MK Stalin’s inclusive approach to uniting anti-establishment votes, contributing to victories in elections over the past five years.
In an editorial titled “Election Results and Lessons,” Murasoli pointed out the Congress’s failure to retain power in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh due to a narrow deficit in votes. It also noted the rejection of the BJP by its allies in Mizoram, and its rejection by Telangana voters. The editorial drew comparisons, emphasising that the BJP’s defeat in Telangana was more significant than the Congress’s losses in other states.
Murasoli suggested that the Congress should align with opposition INDIA alliance partners like the Samajwadi Party, AAP, CPM, CPI, and Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) to consolidate anti-BJP forces. It advocated adopting CM MK Stalin’s alliance strategy, which has proven successful in various elections in Tamil Nadu.
The editorial echoed Stalin’s viewpoint that a uniform national coalition is impractical due to diverse regional parties, advocating instead for alliances with influential state parties. It also urged caution and responsibility in utilising the upcoming Lok Sabha election as an opportunity to unite against the BJP.
Commenting over Murasoli’s editorial, one of the DMK’s state-level leaders told TNIE, “Yes, the Congress should induct them without considering the vote share. In every alliance, the chemistry within the cadres would surpass the arithmetic.
Since DMK wanted to create a strong alliance against the incumbent, it provided parliament seats to KMDK and IJK and assembly seats to KMDK despite knowing their meagre vote share. The same kind of formula should be followed by the Congress but they missed the opportunity.” Veteran political observer D Karthik, said, “It shows DMK is more keen than the Congress to unseat the BJP from the centre. Since it is not a usual practice of DMK to air their dissatisfaction publicly it is strange and the party wants to kick-start the debate on this within the INDIA alliance in general and Congress in particular.”