CHENNAI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appeared to make a fresh attempt to reassure the DMK of the party's commitment to the broader Opposition cause, responding warmly to DMK president MK Stalin's birthday greeting on Friday at a time when the Congress-led Opposition bloc is grappling with internal fractures.
As Rahul Gandhi turned 56, leaders across the political spectrum extended birthday wishes to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Stalin's message, however, was notably brief, reflecting the strained ties between the DMK and Congress following the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
"Birthday greetings to Hon'ble Leader of Opposition Thiru. @RahulGandhi. Wishing you good health and happiness," Stalin posted on X.
The terse greeting marked a sharp departure from last year's message, when Stalin described Gandhi as his "brother-in-ideals" and said they were united by "thought, vision and purpose".
Gandhi, however, chose to emphasise shared political objectives rather than the growing differences between the two parties. Thanking Stalin for the wishes, he said: "Our shared resolve to defend the idea of India, our Constitution, and federalism will continue to guide us."
"This is the fight for the very soul of our democracy, and we will wage it together, until we win," he added.
Political observers view Gandhi's response as an effort to prevent a further widening of the rift with the DMK, one of Congress' most significant allies in Parliament. The outreach comes at a time when the Opposition has already been weakened by the departure of the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) from the INDIA bloc, reducing the Congress' ability to mount a united challenge to the ruling BJP at the national level.
Relations between the DMK and Congress have deteriorated sharply since the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, where Congress broke ranks with its ally and extended support to Chief Minister Vijay's TVK government. The move triggered strong criticism from the DMK, which accused Congress of betraying a long-standing ally and weakening Opposition unity in the State.
The strain became evident earlier this month when the DMK skipped an INDIA bloc meeting, a move widely seen as a signal of its displeasure with the Congress' decision to back the TVK government.
In recent weeks, the DMK has stepped up its attacks on Congress. In an editorial in its mouthpiece Murasoli, the party accused Congress of seeking the support of regional allies during Lok Sabha elections while undermining them in State-level contests. DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin also charged that Congress had "betrayed" the party by backing TVK, warning that the decision would not be forgotten.