TN defeat: Congress hits back at DMK's 'convenient blame game'

Congress MP Christopher Tilak slams DMK's Udhayanidhi Stalin for blaming the party for the Tamil Nadu poll debacle. Tilak called it a 'convenient blame game' and said the DMK is looking for a scapegoat instead of accepting its own failure.

Congress MP Christopher Tilak on Sunday hit back at Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Udhayanidhi Stalin following their electoral defeat in Tamil Nadu, stating that the DMK's attempts to hold the Congress responsible for the election debacle is a convenient blame game, typical of parties unable to digest failure. The remarks came after DMK leader Udhyanidhi Stalin held Congress responsible for the BJP's landslide electoral victories after Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) successfully formed a new power-sharing coalition government in the state.

"Generally, when the results are out and when there is a debacle, it is natural that the blame game starts. In the same lines, the DMK has also started creating a narrative that the Congress is responsible for the results [of Tamil Nadu elections], while Congress, VCK, and others are small partners in the earlier alliance with the DMK, a bigger one," Tilak told ANI.

The Congress MP noted that the massive political shift in Tamil Nadu surprised everyone across the political spectrum, including the newly formed ruling party itself. "We should accept the verdict of the people as a mature party, and we must do an internal analysis... I am sure even TVK was not expecting this," the MP remarked.

'DMK looking for a scapegoat'

Tilak strongly defended Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the party command, asserting that the DMK was merely looking for a scapegoat rather than addressing its own shortcomings. "DMK's convenient target was Rahul Gandhi and Congress... This blame game is common with any party in India when faced with failure, and this is what repeated with the DMK," he added.

Rift deepens in erstwhile DMK-led alliance

The public sparring highlights the deepening rift within the erstwhile DMK-led alliance, following the decision of major partners like the VCK and IUML to switch sides and take up cabinet portfolios in the historic TVK-led multi-party coalition administration.

A new era in Tamil Nadu politics

Tamil Nadu witnessed one of the most dramatic political transitions in its modern history as actor-turned-politician Vijay took oath as the 13th Chief Minister of the State, ending the decades-long political dominance of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and ushering in what he called "a new era of real, secular and social justice."

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam achieved historic success in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu elections, as it emerged as the single largest party in the assembly, winning 108 seats. To ensure government stability, VCK and IUML extended critical legislative support to help the TVK clear its assembly floor test.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)