CHENNAI: The assertiveness in the demand by a section of Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu for sharing power in the government and the apparent outreach to actor-politician Vijay’s TVK have triggered unease within the DMK-led INDIA bloc, straining the otherwise long and stable relationship between the two parties.
While the senior DMK leadership has so far chosen to maintain silence so as to not escalate the issue further, party sources said that it was also an expression of the leadership’s displeasure.
Highly placed DMK sources said the leadership was unhappy with the Congress repeatedly raising alliance-related issues in the public domain when discussions were still under way with a comfortable amount of time left for finalising arrangements. These concerns, DMK sources confirmed, have been conveyed to the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
The latest episode in the escalating tension was a group of TNCC leaders criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday for ‘intentionally delaying’ the CBFC certification for Vijay’s ‘Jana Nayagan’, at a time when even the TVK has not explicitly alleged political motives behind the delay.
A DMK functionary pointed to the AICC’s perceived reluctance to act against Praveen Chakravarty for his criticism of Tamil Nadu’s financial situation, despite his remarks coming under fire from senior Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram. “This signals the AICC is comfortable with such narratives, possibly (in the DMK’s eyes) as groundwork for future realignments,” the leader said.
Former Rajya Sabha member and DMK organising secretary R S Bharathi sought to play down the controversy, asserting that Chief Minister M K Stalin and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared a cordial and fraternal relationship. He said decisions regarding seat-sharing and alliance matters would be taken by the two leaders, suggesting that public debates were unnecessary and avoidable.
However, a few second-rung leaders of DMK responded to the Congress. Former Rajya Sabha member M M Abdulla termed the present demand for power-sharing from Congress an “RSS voice” while responding to a post on X by Congress MP Manickam Tagore, who responded in an equally sharp tone.
Tagore reiterated the demand on Wednesday, maintaining that it reflected the sentiments of Congress workers. On the same day, Chakravarty reiterated the demand for power sharing. He said it is the wish of all party cadre, and some elected members of the party may not favour the demand for their personal interests.
DMK sources pointed out that the Congress offered cabinet berths at the centre only after 2004, when it was unable to form a government on its own. “TN’s political context is different. The Congress does not have the same leverage here,” one political observer noted.
According to DMK leaders, switching alliances without assurance of electoral gain could prove detrimental to the Congress and weaken the INDIA bloc. They also emphasised that irrespective of number of seats allotted to alliance partners, it is DMK cadre who shoulder the bulk of election work. “If DMK cadre feel alienated by Congress leaders’ attitude, grassroots coordination will suffer,” a senior leader warned.