3 weeks ago
1
Terming his party's determination to state with the TVK successful Tamil Nadu "dreadful", seasoned Congress person Mani Shankar Aiyar connected Friday (May 8, 2026) said it smacked of "low governmental opportunism" and asserted that if the determination facilitates the backdoor introduction of a "communal BJP" into the Dravidian authorities past it would beryllium to beryllium the worst ain extremity successful the past of governmental football.
Mr. Aiyar said helium cannot ideate the fathers of the Indian National Congress blessing specified "politics of expediency".
Speaking with PTI, Mr. Aiyar said the Congress' determination to leap vessel instantly aft an predetermination fought with the DMK to plunge into a narration with the precise TVK that took "us connected successful the 23 assembly segments we mislaid and the 5 we won lone days ago", was "dreadful".
Tamil Nadu authorities enactment LIVE
"This is an unforgivable usurpation of Mahatma Gandhi's 1925 maxim, 'Swaraj should beryllium a authorities based connected morality'," Mr. Aiyar told PTI.
In an nonfiction published successful the Hindu Tamil connected Friday (May 8, 2026), the seasoned Congress person asked whether Chankya has prevailed oregon Mahatma Gandhi successful the Congress switching partners successful Tamil Nadu.
"The Congress won 5 seats, not due to the fact that of itself but wholly connected the spot of its decades-old inferior concern with the DMK. Indeed, my erstwhile parliamentary constituency of Mayiladuturai proved to beryllium specified a stronghold of the DMK-led alliance, that 5 retired of its six Assembly segments voted against Vijay's TVK successful favour of a postulation of the members of the confederation with 2 seats going to the DMK and 1 each to confederation partners DMDK, IUML and the Congress," Mr. Aiyar said successful his Tamil piece.
Thus, the mandate ran intelligibly successful favour of the DMK-led confederation and against the newcomer, helium pointed out.
"It is successful the discourse of my relation with this maverick parliamentary constituency implicit the past 35 years that I constitute this portion with immense regret and sorrow," Mr. Aiyar said.
While noting that the state-wide mandate was against the older Dravidian parties and successful favour of C Joseph Vijay's TVK and that Mr. Vijay is wholly secular and belongs to the broader Dravidian consensus, Mr. Aiyar said yet, to summarily ditch an aged and tried spouse "smacks of debased governmental opportunism".
"But opportunism is the essence of Chanakyan politics. It was not the authorities of information of the Congress of Gandhi. I cannot ideate the fathers of the Indian National Congress blessing specified a authorities of expediency," helium said.
What is more, the ever-realistic Jawaharlal Nehru would besides person doubted whether it makes governmental consciousness to wantonness a tried and tested state — an state who has stayed with america done decades of turbulence — for a spouse the Congress spurned till the 4th of May, helium said.
Is this ethical oregon is it adjacent politically wise, Mr. Aiyar asked.
"Struggling with these considerations, I indispensable confess to heavy unease with our switching horses aft the contention has been run. In switching, we person shown ourselves to beryllium driven little by bully behaviour, self-restraint and self-sacrifice, arsenic taught by the Mahatma, and much successful favour of contiguous reward adjacent if the aboriginal of specified avaricious authorities is uncertain," helium said.
How tin the Congress warrant letting down a spouse who, unsocial successful the INDIA bloc, proclaimed 'brother' Rahul Gandhi arsenic Prime Minister, Mr. Aiyar argued.
"Moreover, wherefore wantonness a spouse arsenic helium is drowning to scope the enactment successful institution with the idiosyncratic liable for the drowning. Do we merchantability our honour for 'a fistful of silver' (an look the Christian successful Vijay volition understand) and for 'a ribbon to deterioration connected our bosom - a ministry oregon two?" Mr. Aiyar said successful his article.
Even connected the astir pragmatic grounds, is the Congress joining a vessel connected an adjacent keel oregon arsenic a rat joining a sinking ship, helium asked.
"For me, the morals and authorities of our contiguous dilemma converge. Morality demands staying with the DMK, which has stood by america adjacent successful our depths. Politics demands we bash not surrender to temptation but measurement the semipermanent consequences of joining an chartless entity of doubtful longevity," helium said.
Mr. Aiyar asserted that the DMK has taken Tamil Nadu to the heights of challenging the Asian Tigers.
"Mr. Vijay has proved the deftness of his creation steps. If we hold a fewer years, assuming Mr. Vijay cobbles unneurotic a unchangeable bulk - we could, with each honour, estimation whom to spouse successful 2029 oregon 2031. But coming successful the contiguous aftermath of the TVK's determined effort to decision america successful 23 of the 28 segments the Congress contested shows up the enactment not lone arsenic amoral but besides politically flatfooted," helium said.
"And if this facilitates the backdoor introduction of a communal BJP into the aureate 'chen Tamizh' governmental ethos of Dravidian Tamil Nadu, it would beryllium the worst ain extremity successful the past of governmental football. Who volition ever spot america again?" Mr. Aiyar said successful his article.
The Congress, a long-time state of the DMK, connected Wednesday (May 6, 2026) announced its enactment to actor-politician Vijay's TVK to signifier a authorities successful Tamil Nadu and severed ties with the Dravidian major.
The Congress asserted that it would beryllium portion of the caller authorities to beryllium led by TVK and stock the work of governance.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee's (TNCC) determination to breakaway from the DMK's fold paved the mode for a caller governmental realignment successful the state.
The DMK has dubbed the enactment of Congress to drawback ties with it and articulation forces with TVK arsenic "backstabbing."
The TVK won 108 seats successful the 234-member Assembly successful the April 23 polls. Though the Congress, which has 5 MLAs, has extended enactment to the TVK, the actor-politician-led enactment is inactive abbreviated of arsenic galore seats to interaction 118, the bulk mark.
