CHENNAI: The simmering tensions between the DMK and the Congress burst into the open once again on Monday after DMK’s Madurai North MLA G Thalapathi made sharp remarks against the national party and suggested denying seats to alliance partners he accused of creating friction, leading to a sharp hit back from Congress leaders who claimed they won't take it lying down.
Responding strongly, Karur MP S Jothimani and Virudhunagar MP member Manickam Tagore warned DMK leaders against insulting the party.
The row began when Thalapathi, addressing a party language martyrs’ meeting, took a swipe at Manickam Tagore and Jothimani for seeking a share in power in Tamil Nadu despite, as he claimed, securing only around 3,000 to 4,000 votes.
Responding strongly, Karur MP S Jothimani and Virudhunagar MP member Manickam Tagore warned DMK leaders against insulting the party.
The row began when Thalapathi, addressing a party language martyrs’ meeting, took a swipe at Manickam Tagore and Jothimani for seeking a share in power in Tamil Nadu despite, as he claimed, securing only around 3,000 to 4,000 votes.
Hitting back, Manickam Tagore said he would request Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to nominate a Congress candidate for the Madurai North Assembly constituency.
“Certain people must be taught a lesson to protect our self-respect. The days of alliance partners remaining silent while others act with the arrogance of power are over,” he said.
Adding to the controversy, Jothimani condemned Thalapathi’s remarks in a post on X, stating that the DMK MLA should avoid unnecessarily dragging her into controversies.
She asserted that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alone would decide who contests on behalf of the party and warned that the Congress would not remain silent if it continued to be insulted in public forums.
Calling on Thalapathi to maintain dignity befitting his seniority, she urged him to engage in politics without embarrassing the Chief Minister, whom she described as acting responsibly as the leader of the INDIA alliance in Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai asserted that the Congress would be a deciding factor in the Assembly elections.
The renewed exchange of sharp remarks signals a fresh round of friction between the DMK and the Congress, emerging soon after the Congress’s Delhi meeting and despite Rahul Gandhi’s advice to prioritise alliance coordination over consolidation talks and DMK president MK Stalin's call to leave all alliance matters to himself.