Congress-DMK split: How Rahul-Stalin bonhomie collapsed over Vijay’s rise

Their parties have been in alliance for almost two decades, except for a brief breakup in 2013. And when Rahul Gandhi and MK Stalin took over their parties, they had always made it a point to publicly display their bonhomie, often calling each other brothers and ideological partners.  

Even when other allies in the Congress-led coalition shied away from naming Rahul Gandhi as its leader, it was MK Stalin who, without hesitation, declared him the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate. But behind closed doors, that bonhomie had been waning, especially over the last few months. 

That relationship has now finally come apart, with the Congress deciding to walk out of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance and extend support to actor Vijay, whose party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, has emerged as the single largest party in this election.

As it became clear on the evening of May 5 that the Congress would extend support to the TVK, which needs 11 more MLAs to cross the halfway mark in the Assembly, the first salvo came from DMK leader A Saravanan, who cryptically tweeted "backstabbers". Soon, however, the gloves were off, with leaders from both sides justifying their stand and attacking each other.

Later, Sarvanan spoke to the press and accused the Congress’ national leadership of cowardice. “Why couldn’t they make the announcement? Why say ‘we’ve left it to the state leaders?’ Because if this backfires, the national leadership can say it wasn’t their decision and blame state leaders.” 

Reiterating his “backstabbers” stance, Saravanan said, “We’ve lost power, we have no use for just five MLAs … But look at the bigger picture. What is going to happen in the 2029 elections?” 

Several DMK leaders TNM spoke to pointed out that the Congress did not even show the courtesy of meeting their leader, MK Stalin, and explaining its decision. Nor did a call come from the “ideological brother” in Delhi.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called DMK MP TR Baalu on the evening of May 5 and asked him what he thought the Congress should do in a situation where the BJP could push for backdoor control over Vijay’s government. Sources told TNM that Baalu retorted by asking how he was supposed to tell the Congress what decision to make.

“The other allies met our leader. No one from the Congress did,” a DMK leader said.

Senior leader TKS Elangovan did not mince words.

“They wanted to join Vijay’s party. I don’t know why Congress has taken that step. The Congress is doing this in every state, and ultimately, Congress is losing in every state. In fact, they have been wiped out in Delhi. In West Bengal too, they have been wiped out. In Maharashtra, they have no chance. So Congress is doing something that will eventually finish the party itself. That’s what is happening now,” he said.

A Congress leader based in Delhi, who works closely with Rahul Gandhi, said the reason no one, including Rahul, reached out directly to MK Stalin was that the relationship had deteriorated over the past few months.

There has been growing discontent within Congress ranks that, ever since Rahul Gandhi took charge, the DMK has been steadily reducing the number of seats allotted to the Congress in every election while also denying the party representation in boards and local bodies.

“They did not respect us in the state. For their anti-BJP stand, we became their amplifier nationally. How can such a tie-up continue?” the leader asked. 

A DMK Member of Parliament who has worked closely with the Congress for many years acknowledged that the relationship is, for now, over. The MP said it remains to be seen how other members of the INDIA bloc would respond to this development and whether parties like the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, and the Aam Aadmi Party would want to continue in the alliance.

The political churn unfolding in Tamil Nadu is expected to have national implications, especially if the Left parties decide to walk out of the DMK alliance and join the Congress in extending support to the TVK.

Meanwhile, there is scepticism within Congress ranks about how Vijay would function as chief minister. “The people around him seem sketchy. It is unclear how his governance will pan out. But for now, this is a decision we had to take,” a Congress leader said.

The Congress leadership also found itself under considerable pressure because many Tamil Nadu state-level cadre and leaders had wanted to exit the DMK alliance and join the TVK even before the elections were announced. Having chosen not to take that step earlier, the Congress could no longer explain to its cadre why it would refuse to support Vijay now.

For now, it is an all-out war between Congress and DMK cadres and leaders, both on social media and television channels. As the saying goes, there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics.

This report was republished from The News Minute as part of The News Minute-Newslaundry alliance. Read about our partnership here and become a subscriber here.