Extending backing to Vijay’s TVK for creation of the new administration in Tamil Nadu, the Congress on Wednesday ended its long-running partnership with the DMK in the state, saying its tie-up with the TVK was “not only for the creation of this government, but also for future polls to the local body institutions, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.”
The Congress, which has 5 MLAs, will become part of the TVK government and is eyeing two cabinet positions. The Congress will have a minister in the Tamil Nadu government after almost six decades when it was removed from power by the DMK in 1967.
The Congress and the DMK could still continue together in the INDIA bloc, formed to challenge the BJP electorally at the national stage. Congress leaders noted that the Left parties, TMC and the Congress itself remain in the bloc despite fighting against one another in states.
The Congress decision, however, will raise questions on unity and coordination in the INDIA bloc as some of the allies in the bloc are seeing it as an opportunistic step. While the DMK charged the Congress with betrayal, the Congress justified the move.
The Congress and the DMK had joined hands back in 2004 when they fought the Lok Sabha election together and defeated the AIADMK. And since then the two parties had stayed together except for a short phase after the DMK exited the UPA government over the Sri Lankan Tamil issue in 2013, which compelled the Congress to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections independently. Its candidates lost in every constituency, 38 of them forfeiting their deposits. The parties renewed their alliance before the 2016 Assembly elections.
Sources said the collective opinion of the state leadership of the Congress was in favour of aligning with the TVK. The opinion was that the coming together should not remain restricted to the Congress extending support to the TVK and obtaining cabinet positions in exchange but it should be pursued with a long-term vision. It is a political risk for the Congress. The feeling in the party is that the electoral momentum will continue with Vijay, and the Congress will gain by associating with it in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Girish Chodankar, AICC leader overseeing Tamil Nadu, said,
“This alliance between the TVK and the Tamil Nadu Congress will endeavour to restore ‘Perunthalaivar’ Kamaraj’s glorious era of Tamil Nadu, with a firm dedication to Thanthai Periyar’s social justice principles and Dr B R Ambedkar’s constitutional values in the years and decades ahead. This alliance, established on mutual respect, proper share, and shared responsibility between the two parties, is not only for the creation of this government, but also for future polls to the local body institutions, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.”
The Congress’s decision to support the TVK, however, depends on Vijay’s party not having any association with the BJP. “Our support shall be conditional upon the TVK keeping away from this alliance any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India,” Chodankar said.
Incidentally, the Congress high command’s stand on the issue Tuesday was that the party “is committed not to let the BJP and its proxies govern Tamil Nadu in any manner.” The party, however, did not mention “proxies” in its official statement amid reports that the TVK was in discussions with the AIADMK.
Vijay and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi spoke during the day. Vijay thanked Rahul for extending his party’s backing and invited him for the oath-taking event. Rahul, sources said, has agreed to participate.
The Congress was eager to remain on Vijay’s side considering that the TVK was also in discussions with the AIADMK. It wanted to finalise an arrangement as quickly as possible as the Congress believes Vijay’s party is ideologically aligned. Rahul and Vijay had been in contact for some time. Vijay had called Rahul to greet him on his birthday last year and later Rahul had spoken to him after the Karur stampede.
“The people of Tamil Nadu, especially the youth, have delivered a very clear, strong and overwhelming mandate for a secular, progressive and welfare-oriented government that believes in constitutional principles. They have chosen the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) led by Mr Vijay to establish the next government. The Indian National Congress stands for, and is the founding political party for, secular, progressive and welfare-oriented politics in India. It is our constitutional duty to respect, uphold and help realise this mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu. Accordingly, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) has decided to extend its complete support to the TVK to establish the government,” Chodankar said.
The relationship between the DMK and the Congress has been witnessing friction for some time now, with Rahul Gandhi and DMK chief M K Stalin, once quite cordial towards each other, not having appeared together on stage during campaigning.
It all started after a section of the Congress in Tamil Nadu, sensing the changing political climate, began pressuring the high command to explore the possibility of changing sides. The ties worsened further after the DMK outright rejected the Congress’s demand for a role in power if the alliance formed the government. The DMK, meanwhile, was unhappy that the Congress high command, especially Rahul, remained silent on aggressive posturing by some of the state Congress leaders.
The DMK realised that Gandhi too had been open to considering a seat-sharing arrangement with Vijay, but the alliance could not take shape as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the Tamil Nadu leadership then were keen to continue with the DMK.
With the TVK emerging as the single largest party and making a bid for power, the Congress-DMK split became unavoidable. Asked about the DMK’s allegation that the Congress engaged in betrayal, the party’s media department head Pawan Khera said, “In December 2013, DMK held a press conference and declared that it will contest alone in the Lok Sabha elections. Was that betrayal? No. This is also not betrayal. Two like-minded parties are forming the government to stop BJP.”
The Congress’s statement also mentions Vijay and Rahul, saying they “jointly pledge to honour this historic mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu for a secular and progressive government, and to fulfil the aspirations and promises of the people especially the youth of Tamil Nadu.”