Finally, the DMK has dumped the Congress even as an electoral partner. Veteran leader M Karunanidhi told party workers at the end of Sunday’s general council meeting of the DMK that his party would not have any alliance with the Congress.
“The Congress did not help us in our hour of crisis and distress. We did not get any help when Kanimozhi and Raja were arrested in connection with the 2G Spectrum case. Why should we continue the allianceIJ” Karunanidhi asked the party workers who responded with thundering applause.
In a hard-hitting speech, the nonagenarian DMK chief described the Congress as “untouchables” of the Indian politics. “The Congress, through its selfish motives has proved themselves that they are untouchables. Whoever touches the Congress or aligns with it are sure to be doomed,” said Karunanidhi. He pointed out the results of the recent assembly elections to substantiate his statement.
For the first time since the 2G Spectrum Scam broke out, Karunanidhi openly blamed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram for the scam. “Both of them were equally responsible if any irregularities have taken place. But they washed off their hands and put our workers in jail. See the results of the Assembly elections held this month. The whole country has turned against the Congress who could be described as frauds only,” blasted Karunanidhi.
The DMK leader, however, expressed his helplessness in seeking the hands of the BJP at his hour of crisis. “I had an excellent personal friendship with AB Vajpayee. But I do not have any contacts with the present band of BJP leaders which makes me incapable of forging any alliance with that party,” said Karunanidhi. This is an as an important statement since Karunandhi used to describe the BJP as a communal outfit since he parted with it in 2004 to form an alliance with the Congress.
Earlier in the day, speakers after speakers demanded that the party give up its nine-year-old ties with the Congress. Karunanidhi also said the Congress has become a burden for his party and blamed it for the rout faced by the DMK in the 2011 Assembly elections. The party general council authorised Karunanidhi to forge alliance with parties which are compatible with the DMK.
The DMK chief came down heavily on the Congress for its apathy towards the Tamil issue. He made it known that the Congress leadership has insulated and disgraced the DMK though the “shoe was on the other feet” in the 2G Spectrum scandal. The general council meeting authorised Karunanidhi to forge electortal alliance with like minded parties for the upcoming lok Sabha elections. Though the resolution issued at the end of the general body meeting was silent on the future of the ties with the Congress, the mood in Anna Arivalayam, the imposing DMK headquarters in Mount Road was totally against the Congress, according to TKS Elangovan, MP and party spokesman.
Karunanidhi also said he would work to find out suitable allies for the election. “But we need not worry about the allies as the DMK is strong enough to fight the election on its own and win a majority of the seats,” he said.