DMK will not join hands with Congress: RS Bharathi

CHENNAI: DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi on Wednesday clarified that the party would not participate in any event or agitation jointly organised with the Congress, stating that the DMK would pursue its own stand on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Speaking to reporters at Anna Arivalayam, Bharathi said the DMK had filed a case against the SIR process in the Supreme Court and would argue the matter independently.

"In that case, the DMK will argue individually. The party will not work with any alliance of which the Congress is a part, " Bharathi said.

Reacting to Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Manickam Tagore's remarks that the DMK had been isolated after the TVK joined the INDIA bloc, Bharathi said he was not concerned about Tagore's statement, alleging that he had not stood by his words in the past.

Bharathi also responded to a question on the by-elections in the two Assembly constituencies, saying that the DMK was confident of victory.

His remarks came after political parties belonging to the INDIA bloc held a protest in New Delhi against the SIR process and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The DMK, the principal Opposition party in Tamil Nadu, did not participate in the protest.

The DMK has been making efforts to form a third front at the national level. Against this backdrop, Bharathi's remarks indicated that the party would maintain its separate position and would not participate in events jointly organised with the Congress.

Meanwhile, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai, in a post on X, referred to the media report, claiming that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise altered election results in Tamil Nadu.

Taking a direct swipe at Rahul Gandhi with the phrase "Daro Math!" (don't be scared), Annadurai pointed out that while the Congress leader had forcefully claimed that elections were "stolen" in Bihar, he remained notably silent on developments in Tamil Nadu.