The Congress on Tuesday asked its former alliance partner, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), to reflect and determine the real reasons for its electoral defeat instead of criticizing it, party legislators in the ruling Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) government said.
The comments of the two Congress leaders assume significance after an article in Murasoli, the DMK party organ, mocked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday. The article asked whether it would be shameful for him to use all sorts of “underhanded tactics” to prevent Indian block parties from coming to power in states where assembly elections are being held, and then later seek their support when the Lok Sabha elections are just around the corner.
The article harshly criticized the Congress, alleging that the party had “stabbed in the back” the TDP with the blessings of its top leader Rahul Gandhi during the April 23 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, and mocked it for “lecturing on unity” at the recent India Caucus meeting.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, Congress MLA Keleur, Tourism Minister S Rajesh Kumar and Higher Education Minister P Viswanathan, MLA from Melur, said TVK formed the government with Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), all of which contested under the DMK-led Progressive Secular Alliance.
“This demonstrates the firm stand of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on principles like democracy, social justice, secularism and state rights,” they said in the statement.
The two ministers stressed that it is the duty of Congress to stand by the Democratic Congress Party, which remains steadfast on its secular ideology, and said: “KDP members cross all limits and hurl abuses at the Congress Party and its leaders. The KDP members criticize us with harsh words, claiming that the Congress won only because of the hard work done by the KDP cadres, yet it has now supported the KDP to form the government.”
“However it is true that the Congress won thanks to the DMK, it is also true that the DMK won thanks to the Congress,” they said.
The two ministers pointed out that the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which was unable to win a single election without an alliance, had never shared power or power with the coalition parties.
“In 2006, the KDP did not even reach the 100-seat mark. It formed the government only thanks to the Congress. However, the KDP did not have the courage to accommodate the Congress in the cabinet,” they said.
Confirming that the TVK, which has now won 108 seats, has given two portfolios to the Congress, which has five members, the two leaders said the Congress has given one portfolio each to the VCK and the IUML, which have two MPs each.
“If both the Communist parties had wanted to join the government, each would have been given one ministerial portfolio. Sharing part of the governance and power with the parties that helped form the government is true federalism. This is exactly what Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay demonstrated through his actions.”
Pointing out that the Congress, despite sticking to its secular principles, extended its support to TVK to form the government, they said it was aimed at preventing the BJP from trying to rule Tamil Nadu through indirect means.
“Due to this action, the DMK criticized the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi,” they said.
“Instead of obsessing over how to criticize the Congress party, the DMK should fully introspect and identify the real reasons for its electoral defeat. First, find out why the minority and Scheduled Caste (Dalit) communities did not vote for the DMK. Instead of doing so, if it continues to blame the alliance parties and make vulgar criticisms, a situation will arise where the DMK can never return to power.”
The DMK must accept the rule of the people and continue its work as an appropriate responsible party. The two ministers warned in the statement, “Otherwise, in the future, they will lose even their opposition status. Those who forget their earthly reality in politics and dance arrogantly will never escape the punishment imposed on them by the people.”
Reacting to these remarks, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai said: “It is cynical and ridiculous that the Congress party is lecturing us on how to do the opposition party duty which we have been doing so well for the last 12 years at the national level.”
“If it had not been for the staunch opposition of the DMK, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would not have become the leader of the opposition. He lost it in the 2014 elections. He got it in the 2019 elections because of the alliance with the DMK,” he said.
Urging them not to forget this, Saravanan described the Congress leaders as a “bunch of traitors” and said they had no moral right to question the DMK.
“Let them not talk about weakening the unity of the opposition, which was Rahul Gandhi’s only trait,” he said.
