NEW DELHI: Cracks within the INDIA bloc came into sharp focus after the Tamil Nadu verdict, as the MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam lashed out at its ally, Congress, for backing actor-politician Vijay and his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. The DMK termed the Congress’ move “backstabbing,” signalling serious strain within the opposition alliance.DMK joint secretary and spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai called its INDIA bloc ally Congress’ step “foolhardy decision” and driven by the need to “satisfy a few egos.”Defending the DMK’s past support to Congress, he invoked party supremo Stalin’s backing of Rahul Gandhi. He said, “In 2016, the Congress got a good number of seats, though it was not proportionate to the seats that were allocated to them. The BJP-RSS was mocking Rahul Gandhi, calling him names. At that time, our leader, MK Stalin, made Rahul Gandhi the prime ministerial candidate, which was a bold move. From then onwards, Rahul Gandhi’s graph rose in 2024… It is all the hard work of the DMK on the ground, the resources of the DMK party on the ground, and that is why they were able to pull off these five seats. I call this a foolhardy decision. The TVK, of course, needs 11 seats to cross the majority mark. The AIADMK, with 47 seats, is willing to offer unconditional support. If you are Vijay, to whom will you listen? Someone with five seats or someone with 43 seats? So the Congress, I think, had made a very bad decision. Just to satisfy a few egos, and they will regret it immediately…”Doubling down, Annadurai added, “We wish good luck to Vijay when he takes oath on 7th May. Congress has offered its support to the TVK, and that is why we called it backstabbing… The Congress has decided to flip sides and support the TVK, and the reasons cited by them are not convincing. They say they want to keep the BJP and the RSS at bay, and that is why this call should be made… This is a full-hearted decision by the Congress, which is likely to send ripples across the country in the sense that there are other alliance partners. If Congress is going to be so untrustworthy, just within a day of the results, they are openly going against the mandate. What impact will it create in the minds of Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Uddhav Thackeray and all the others? We have never failed the Congress…”Earlier to this, DMK spokesperson had posted a cryptic message in an indirect attack to now his an estranged ally Congress — writing “The backstabbers.”Meanwhile, Congress MP Manickam Tagore strung a relatively friendly tone in DMK-Congress struggle, projecting the BJP as main rival in justifying ties with Vijay. He said, “The verdict has gone against the DMK government. Half the ministers in the Cabinet have lost their seats. We faced collateral damage for no fault of ours. Now, BJP is eyeing Tamil Nadu. The question before us is clear: Should we stand with those rejected by the people’s verdict, or should we unite with the force that fought against BJP and fight to stop BJP from ruling Tamil Nadu?”The political churn follows a cinematic electoral debut by mega-movie star Vijay, whose TVK disrupted the long-standing dominance of the DMK and AIADMK. Emerging as the single largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly, TVK fell short of a majority but fundamentally altered Tamil Nadu’s political arithmetic.With the DMK pushed out of power and facing a weakened position, Congress’ willingness to back TVK, despite holding just six seats, has intensified speculation of a realignment. The move not only threatens the DMK-Congress partnership in the state but also raises broader questions about cohesion within the INDIA bloc.
