Congress ends 55 year DMK alliance, backs Vijay TVK in Tamil Nadu

Congress ends 55 year alliance with DMK in Tamil Nadu, backs Vijay’s Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam for government formation and future polls, raising concerns over INDIA bloc unity.

Congress breaks alliance with DMK after joining hands with TVK. (PTI file)

The Congress on Wednesday broke its 55-year-old long-standing alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu after extending its full support to Vijay’s Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) for the formation of the new government.

The Congress said that its alliance with the TVK was “not only for the formation of this government, but also for future elections to the local body organisations, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha”.

While officially announcing its alliance with the TVK, Congress in its statement said, “This alliance – founded on mutual respect, appropriate share, and shared responsibility between the two parties – is not only for the formation of this government, but also for future elections to the local body organisations, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.”

However, the Congress and the DMK can still co-exist in the INDIA bloc, which was formed to defeat the BJP at the national level.

The Left parties, Trinamool Congress (TMC), along with the Congress, have remained in the same bloc despite fighting against each other in states. This move will, however, put a question mark on the unity and cohesion in the INDIA bloc.

The Congress’s support for the TVK is based on the condition that they will keep any “any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India” out of this alliance.

In its official statement, the Congress said, “The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and the Congress Legislative  Party (CLP) has decided to extend its full support to the TVK to form the government. Our support shall be conditional upon the TVK keeping out from this alliance any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India.”

DMK Expelled Us From Alliance In 2014 General Elections: Congress

Speaking about the breakaway from the DMK in Tamil Nadu, Congress MP Jothimani said that “in politics, alliances forming and breaking is only natural”.

She said that just a week before the announcement of the 2014 parliamentary elections, DMK had expelled the Congress party from a long-standing alliance, and they were pushed to contest alone.

“The Congress party has been journeying in alliance with the DMK for a long time. When you’re in an alliance, there are bound to be ups and downs. I myself have clashed publicly. Now, keeping in mind the welfare and future of Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee has unanimously decided to join an alliance with the TVK. In politics, alliances forming and breaking is only natural. Even the DMK, just a week before announcing the 2014 parliamentary elections, expelled the Congress party from a long-standing alliance. We were suddenly pushed into contesting alone. For that, we didn’t harshly criticise the DMK. We understood it as a political stance,” Gandhi said.

She further added that now “the Congress party is compelled to take a political stance. Therefore, it’s best for us to part ways from the alliance with mutual respect.” She requested that both sides avoid using harsh words.

“Especially in the current situation where the DMK has faced defeat in the elections, and that too with the honourable Chief Minister, elder brother Thiru. M.K. Stalin himself having lost, it’s neither political decency nor the culture of the Congress party to have been in the alliance until yesterday and then criticise it with extreme ferocity.

“With the political understanding that the breaking of existing alliances and the formation of new ones in politics is only natural, we will move forward on the path of safeguarding the welfare and future of Tamil Nadu,” Jothimani said.

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