Congress severed ties with DMK, backing TVK's Vijay to form a government in Tamil Nadu's hung assembly. Congress MP Manickam Tagore hit back at DMK's 'backstabbing' claims, while DMK called the move myopic, making Congress an unstable partner.
Congress Hits Back At DMK's 'Backstabbing' Accusation
Congress MP Manickam Tagore said that the "irresponsible DMK spokespersons need to be mindful of their language" days after MK Stalin's party accused the Congress of having "backstabbed" the INDIA bloc partners. Congress has offered conditional support to the TVK's Vijay to form a government in Tamil Nadu and severed its ties with the DMK. Vijay's TVK has been working to garner support from other parties to form a government in Tamil Nadu since the verdict threw a hung assembly.
With the support of five Congress MLAs, the alliance stands at 112, still six short of the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member assembly.
"They lost the election, and as a result, we also lost. They won and held power at times, so it is not the case that they are suffering only because of us. Unfortunately, DMK spokespersons are using such terms. They should remember that in 2011, even after the defeat, we supported them. But they left us and contested the local body elections in 2011. In 2013, they exited the UPA government. Who then backstabbed us? In 2016, we all realised that without Congress, they couldn't win. That's why an alliance was formed, resulting in about 95 seats or so. Congress party has sacrificed much for the sake of our friendship," he told ANI a day earlier.
"We too lost our seats. The irresponsible spokespersons of DMK need to be mindful of their language and refrain from speaking in such a manner. In Tamil Nadu, there are two main secular spaces. We respect DMK's secular credentials," he added.
DMK Calls Congress's Move 'Myopic'
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, calling the decision "myopic".
"I think this is a very short-sighted, myopic stand taken by the Congress, which they will regret. The 2029 big elections are coming, where we are very confident that we will be able to remove the BJP. But now, because of this decision by the Congress, it has made them a very unstable partner. The perception that is out in the entire country is that Congress cannot be trusted," he said.
TVK's Bid to Form Government Hits Hurdle
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday invited TVK's Vijay to Lok Bhavan, and explained that the requisite majority support in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, essential for forming the Government, has not been established. According to sources, the Governor sought clarity on the "magic number" required for government formation and asked Vijay to furnish details of legislators backing TVK's claim to form the government in Tamil Nadu.
Arlekar's not callling Vijay to form the government has drawn fiery remarks and allegations from its leaders. Many have alleged that Arlekar is acting on the BJP's whims to stall the due procedure and undermine the Constitution.
TVK Seeks Support From Other Parties
TVK Joint General Secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar, accompanied by party leaders, met with the Communist Party of India leaders at the CPI office in Chennai on Thursday, to garner the support for making goverment in Tamil Nadu. Speaking with the media, Nirmal Kumar said that the VCK and CPI will both hold internal meetings over extending support to TVK and will provide the answer afterwards. Both CPI and VCK won two seats each in the elections.
(ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)