Congress defends supporting Vijay’s TVK in Tamil Nadu
The Congress on Wednesday rejected allegations that it had “backstabbed” its long-time ally DMK for power by supporting the TVK, saying it never sought any post when their alliance was ruling Tamil Nadu and even the DMK had parted ways with it in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
“This cannot be called backstabbing,” the Congress’ media and publicity chairperson, Pawan Khera, said and asked, “What is the issue”, if like-minded parties were forming the Government in the State.
DMK spokesperson Saravanan Anadurai said, “The Congress party has decided to ally with the TVK, pledging their support to the party. I think they have backstabbed... They have backstabbed the people of Tamil Nadu. They’ve backstabbed the mandate given by the people of Tamil Nadu.”
Asked about the DMK’s sharp comments, Khera said, “I would like to take you back to December 2013, when DMK at a press conference announced that they will fight the Lok Sabha polls alone.”
“It was their democratic right, and they did so. Did you ask them if this was backstabbing? This cannot be called backstabbing,” Khera said at a press conference in New Delhi.
“There are two parties (Congress-DMK), they fought elections together, what was the objective, it was that ‘keechad’ (filth and muck) should not spread,” he said, referring to his earlier remarks in the presser that “lotus blooms in ‘keechad’”.
And to stop the muck from spreading, if like-minded parties are forming the Government, then what is the issue, Khera asked.
To a question on criticism of the Congress that it was changing loyalties for power, Khera said, “That is an unfair remark to make because for the last five years we were partners and we were never hankering after positions, not even a board or corporations. So that is not a fair remark to make against the Congress.” The Congress, a long-time ally of the DMK, announced its support to actor-politician Vijay’s TVK to form the Government in Tamil Nadu and severed ties with the Dravidian major.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) have decided to extend full support to the TVK to form the Government, AICC Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar said, citing TVK chief Vijay’s request seeking support.
Congress workers burst firecrackers at the party. State headquarters, Satyamurthi Bhavan, in Chennai to welcome the announcement.
Chodankar, in a statement, said Vijay has formally requested the Congress party to extend its support for forming a Government in Tamil Nadu.
Vijay-led TVK secured an impressive 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly on its maiden electoral debut and trounced the incumbent DMK led by Stalin, which finished with only 59 seats. The Congress has won five seats.
The opposition AIADMK won 47 seats while its allies, the PMK, obtained four, and the BJP and AMMK clinched one seat each in the election, according to the data available on the Election Commission of India’s website.
The DMK’s other allies - the IUML, CPI, CPI (M) and VCK won two seats each, and the DMDK secured one.
DMK is one of the oldest allies of the Congress party, and the two joined hands for the first time in 1971 when the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls were held.
