In a statement, Karur Congress MP Jothimani said the Congress party would stand firmly with the TVK government in delivering good governance to the people of Tamil Nadu, but made it clear that the alliance did not mean unconditional support for every political strategy adopted by the ruling party.

Stating that the people of Tamil Nadu had elected TVK leader C. Joseph Vijay as Chief Minister with the expectation of a quality administration, she said there were already visible signs that he understood the responsibility and was acting accordingly.

“As an alliance partner, Congress will certainly support him in providing a good government to the people of Tamil Nadu. But that does not mean we can endorse every method chosen by TVK. Those methods must strengthen democracy, not weaken it,” she said.

She strongly criticised attempts to justify “horse-trading politics,” saying such practices had historically been used by the BJP to weaken democracy and destabilise Congress governments in several states across India.

“The BJP has repeatedly used horse trading against the people’s mandate to prevent Congress from forming governments or continuing in power in states where the people elected us,” she said.

Jothimani stressed that the Congress could never adopt a dual stand by opposing horse trading outside Tamil Nadu while supporting it within the state.

“If Congress acts as a force weakening democracy, it would become a historical betrayal of the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and the party’s principles,” she said.

Backing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s political line, she added that at a time when he was fighting uncompromisingly for democratic values and ideology, any attempt to weaken that struggle could not be accepted.