No backstabbing in supporting TVK government in Tamil Nadu: Congress
The Congress rejected allegations of betraying ally DMK by supporting Vijay-led TVK in Tamil Nadu. Party leader Pawan Khera said supporting like-minded parties to form a government could not be termed backstabbing and recalled DMK contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha polls alone
New Delhi: The Indian National Congress on Wednesday rejected allegations that it had “backstabbed” its long-time ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for power by supporting the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, saying it never sought any post when their alliance was ruling Tamil Nadu and that even the DMK had parted ways with it during 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 are forming the government in the state?”
Speaking to PTI Videos, 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 would 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 here.
“There are two parties, Congress and 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 at the press conference 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 boards 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 Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam 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 Vijay’s request seeking support.
Congress workers burst crackers at the party’s 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 Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam secured 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly in its maiden electoral debut and defeated the incumbent DMK led by M K Stalin, which finished with 59 seats. The Congress won five seats.
The opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won 47 seats, while its allies, the Pattali Makkal Katchi, obtained four seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam clinched one seat each in the election, according to data available on the Election Commission of India website.
The DMK’s other allies, the Indian Union Muslim League, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, won two seats each, while the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam secured one.
DMK is one of the oldest allies of the Congress party, and the two first joined hands in 1971 when the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls were held together.
DMK was part of the UPA governments from 2004 to 2013. In 2016, the Congress revived its ties with the DMK.
