In separate speeches, Thirumavalavan said the departure of allies from the DMK-led alliance should be viewed through the prism of political accommodation rather than "betrayal".

"If the DMK had announced that it was ready for a coalition government and had respected the sentiments of its allies by giving them a satisfactory number of seats and the constituencies they sought, it might not have suffered such a major setback. Those parties also may not have left the alliance so quickly," he said.

Rejecting criticism that alliance partners had betrayed the DMK, he said political parties would naturally adopt strategies to safeguard their political space and participation in government.

"Even tomorrow we can leave ministerial office. If parties want to retain their political relevance, they will naturally take decisions that help them do so," he said.

The VCK leader reiterated that his recent appeal for the DMK and TVK to come together against the BJP was rooted in ideology rather than political expediency.

"I have consistently argued that all parties opposed to the BJP should unite. Instead of appreciating that perspective, some say I am trying to move closer to the DMK. There is no basis for such criticism," he said.

Turning to his own party, Thirumavalavan said repeated attempts to weaken the VCK by engineering defections had failed.

"Those who wanted to weaken the VCK have only been left disappointed," he said.

In an apparent reference to the DMK inducting former VCK functionary Panaiyur Babu, Thirumavalavan said political ethics demanded that parties avoid encouraging defections from movements representing marginalised communities.

"If someone from our party wanted to join another party, they should have refrained from accepting them. They should not contribute to weakening a movement working for the welfare of marginalised communities. That would have been political ethics," he said.