DMK must accept people's verdict or risk losing even opposition status, say Tamil Nadu Congress ministers

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Congress Legislature Party leader and State Tourism Minister S Rajesh Kumar, along with Higher Education Minister P Viswanathan, have strongly criticised the DMK for what they described as its refusal to accept the verdict delivered by the people in the recently concluded Assembly elections. In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the two leaders said that the DMK function as a responsible opposition and warned that continued attacks on alliance partners and failure to analyses the causes of its defeat could result in the party losing even its opposition status in future elections.

Referring to former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai's famous statement that "the people's verdict is the verdict of God," the Congress leaders said recent speeches and writings by DMK functionaries indicate that the party has been unable to come to terms with the electoral outcome announced on May 4.

The statement highlighted the rise of the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), noting that the party had won 108 Assembly seats within just 27 months of its formation. The Congress leaders described the result as a historic achievement that had attracted attention across India and argued that the people's verdict clearly reflected their desire to see TVK leader Joseph Vijay become Chief Minister.

The ministers pointed out that although TVK could have easily formed a government with the support of the AIADMK, which won 43 seats, it instead chose to establish an administration with the backing of Congress and other parties that had contested under the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance. These included the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India and the Indian Union Muslim League.

According to the Congress leaders, this decision reflected Chief Minister Joseph Vijay's commitment to secularism, social justice, federalism and state rights. They asserted that the presence of Congress and Left parties in the ruling arrangement ensured that there would be no direct or indirect role for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the government. They further claimed that the alliance guaranteed the protection of secular values and state autonomy.

Rajesh Kumar and Viswanathan said supporting a secular government led by TVK was both a political and moral responsibility for Congress. They accused DMK leaders of launching an aggressive campaign against Congress and its leadership for extending support to the new government.

They said it was therefore ironic that the DMK frequently spoke about federalism and coalition politics while refusing to share executive authority with its allies. The statement further recalled remarks allegedly made by DMK president MK Stalin before the Assembly election, in which he said coalition governments were not suitable for Tamil Nadu. According to the Congress leaders, such a view was inconsistent with democratic principles.

In contrast, they praised the TVK government for including alliance partners in positions of power. They noted that Congress, despite having only five MLAs, had been allotted two ministerial positions. The VCK and Indian Union Muslim League, with two MLAs each, had been given one ministerial berth each. The leaders added that the two Communist parties could also have received ministerial representation had they chosen to join the government.

They described this approach as a true example of coalition governance and said Chief Minister Joseph Vijay had demonstrated through action that power-sharing should be extended to parties that contribute to the formation of a government.

The statement also made serious political allegations regarding the post-election scenario. The Congress leaders claimed that the BJP had attempted to engineer a government under AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami in order to prevent TVK from assuming power. They further alleged that the DMK leadership had been willing to cooperate with such efforts.

However, they said these attempts were thwarted because secular parties within the DMK-led alliance remained firm in their opposition. According to the ministers, Congress ultimately chose to support the TVK government in order to prevent what they described as indirect BJP influence over Tamil Nadu's administration.

Rajesh Kumar and Viswanathan also condemned what they called repeated attacks by DMK leaders and the party's official newspaper, Murasoli, against Congress and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. They accused the publication of repeatedly portraying Congress as having betrayed the alliance and using harsh language against the party leadership.

The Congress leaders concluded by urging the DMK to focus on understanding the real reasons behind its electoral defeat rather than blaming former allies. They specifically called on the party to examine why minority communities and Scheduled Caste voters had not supported it in the election.

Warning that continued criticism of alliance partners could further alienate these sections of society, the ministers said the DMK risked remaining permanently out of power if it failed to learn from the verdict. They urged the party to respect the mandate given by the people, carry out its responsibilities as an effective opposition and avoid the arrogance that, they said, had contributed to its political setback.