DMK’s support comes even as Akhilesh Yadav has sent resources to BRS, and other INDIA bloc allies have been bitter about the Congress.
Published Nov 22, 2023 | 7:17 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 22, 2023 | 7:17 AM
Priyanka Gandhi, Mehbooba Mufti, MK Stalin, Sonia Gandhi and Kanimozhi at the Women's Rights Conference. (Supplied)
It has barely any presence in poll-bound Telangana, yet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s DMK extending support to the Congress was cheered by the grand old party.
The DMK became the first in-power Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc party to publicly declare its support to the Congress — which is fighting a fierce electoral battle with the BRS in the Telangana Assembly elections scheduled for 30 November.
In an official statement on Tuesday, 21 November, the Tamil Nadu party said: “All wings and cadres of the DMK in Telangana state should strive for the victory of the Congress’ candidates on behalf of INDIA bloc.”
The DMK asked its wings and cadres in Telangana to form an Election Working Committee and work hard with the Congress to ensure a large margin of victory for the party’s candidates, the statement from Anna Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters in Chennai, said.
The DMK has very little or no presence in Telangana, but its announcement of support to the Congress is expected to energise the cadres and convey the message that the grand old party is getting support from another party, especially one that is in power in the South.
As far as Stalin is concerned, he clearly believes in keeping other parties, especially allies, happy, and this has, more often than not, paid off for the DMK in the ever-changing quicksand of politics. The latest move projects him as a trusted friend of Congress.
In fact, extending support to Congress does not cost him much as the party has no presence in the state anyway, but the gesture has an immense value in terms of optics.
Whether the call for support influences Tamil voters settled in Telangana is a wait and watch, but in an election set to be a tight fight, optics help.
Interestingly, this kind of support has not come to the Congress from other INDIA bloc constituents, barring the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), especially from those in power in other states.
In fact, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav, whose Samajwadi Party is also part of the INDIA bloc, happens to be a good friend of KCR.
Reportedly, he has supplied one well-fitted campaign vehicle to the BRS for use in the Telangana elections.
The DMK’s public support to the Congress comes at a time other parties of the INDIA bloc, such as the Aam Aadmi Party, are fielding candidates against it in poll-bound states like Rajasthan.
It also comes at a time INDIA bloc leaders like Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar have expressed bitterness over the Opposition bloc “losing steam”, blaming the Congress and its focus on the current round of state elections for it.
That Stalin, who also has good relations with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, or KCR, has come out in support of the Congress makes him stand out from the rest in the INDIA bloc.
Former MP and BRS leader Boinpally Vinod Kumar dismissed DMK’s decision as a matter of no consequence. “The DMK has no presence here,” he told South First, but avoided an answer to whether it was appropriate for Stalin to extend support to Congress when he happens to be a good friend of KCR.
“There is not much to read into this. DMK happens to be part of the INDIA bloc and they have supported the Congress. The DMK as such has no relevance in Telangana,” he insisted.
Earlier, KCR was considered an important leader for the anti-BJP bloc as he was the most critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his policies. But soon, his actions underwent a change, making the anti-BJP leaders begin suspecting his anti-Modi credentials.
The INDIA bloc did not invite KCR to its recent conclaves in Bengaluru and Mumbai, and, in fact, some of its constituents even alleged that he had no credibility and that was why he was not invited. His forays into Maharashtra were seen more as an attempt to divide the anti-BJP vote and help the saffron party at the hustings.
KCR, too, has been dismissive of the INDIA bloc, saying it would not be able to achieve much as the country’s politics is undergoing a paradigm shift. He has advocated a drastic treatment to the policy paralysis that he believes has hamstrung the country’s development. He also recalled that Opposition alliances have failed to deliver in the past.
The problem that KCR faces is that, for him, the Congress is the main Opposition party in Telangana and he cannot afford to be seen rubbing shoulders with its leaders, even though the party is the leader of the anti-BJP forces in the country.
The fact remains that both Stalin and KCR have been good friends.
KCR, who had thought of floating a federal front ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, met the DMK leader several times. The two leaders did not make any public announcement on forming any alliance, but they were united by a common cause — fighting against the BJP.
Both have serious differences with the central policies like the GST, as well as the farm laws that Modi had withdrawn after the farmers fought a relentless battle. In 2019, KCR met Stalin in Chennai to drum up support for his federal front which he wanted to serve as an alternative to the BJP.
As regards the Congress, Stalin has been allied with the party for long, though have been instances of the DMK adopting a line that was in conflict with the Congress position.
For instance, the Congress was annoyed over his son and Tamil Nadu Minister Udayanidhi’s comments on Santana Dharma. The DMK did not back down on its stand though the INDIA bloc opposed it.
Stalin defended his son and said the BJP was raking up the Sanatana Dharma issue only to divert the attention of the people from Manipur violence.
At the same time, his anti-BJP stand did not deter him from attending G-20 dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu in September. He was the only South Indian chief minister to attend the event, while all Congress chief ministers had boycotted it.
