Cracks appeared in the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu as the state Congress and MDMK chief Vaiko traded charges in Chennai. State Congress president KS Alagiri described Vaiko as a political opportunist, two days after the MDMK leader faulted the Congress for never holding a plebiscite in Kashmir.

The Congress attack

Senior Congress leader EVKS Elangovan said Vaiko owed his Rajya Sabha seat to the support of Congress MLAs, yet had turned on the party less than 15 days after becoming an MP. He said Vaiko was ungrateful and should stop attacking the Congress.

Vaiko’s reply

Vaiko refused to withdraw his remarks and said the claim about his election was wrong. He said the DMK had 108 MLAs, while a Rajya Sabha candidate needed only 34, so the DMK could send three members on its own strength. He said it was Stalin and DMK MLAs who proposed and voted for him, not the Congress, and that Alagiri should avoid such statements.

DMK leaders who were contacted declined to comment.

What Vaiko said in Parliament

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, Vaiko said Nehru had promised a plebiscite and accused the Congress of failing to keep that promise, while saying he still respected Nehru. He also recalled advice he said Sheikh Abdullah once gave him about the Congress, and criticised the decision to reduce Jammu and Kashmir to a Union Territory at a time when Puducherry was seeking statehood.

See also: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Indian National Congress.

Originally published on 9 August 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us