Published Jan 27, 2026 | 2:45 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 27, 2026 | 2:45 PM
DMK and Congress
Synopsis: Accusing Thalapathi of undermining the spirit of alliance politics and publicly insulting the Congress and its Members of Parliament, Selvaperunthagai demanded that immediate action be taken against him. On behalf of the Tamil Nadu Congress, he appealed to Chief Minister MK Stalin to initiate appropriate action.
A fresh rift has emerged between the ruling DMK and it’s alliance partner Congress in Tamil Nadu.
Within the INDIA alliance in Tamil Nadu, discussions have been ongoing in recent months about the Congress party’s demand of share in power. Although these tensions appeared to have subsided after a recent high-level Congress leadership meeting, a new controversy has now erupted.
DMK Madurai city secretary Thalapathi, while addressing a public meeting held in Subramaniyapuram in Madurai district to commemorate Language Martyrs’ Day, said that the Congress was a party with only “2,000 to 3,000 votes” and alleged that its leaders were speaking about sharing power despite having no organisational strength.
He specifically named Congress leaders Jyothimani, Manickam Tagore and others, and claimed that the party did not even have enough workers to appoint in booth committees. He further said that a demand should be raised before the DMK leadership not to allot seats to leaders such as Manickam Tagore in the next election.
Following this, Congress leaders, including Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai, Jyothimani, Manickam Tagore and Sasikanth Senthil, issued statements condemning Thalapathi’s remarks.
In a strongly worded statement, Selvaperunthagai said that Thalapathi’s speech was highly condemnable.
He said that a platform meant to honour martyrs who sacrificed their lives for language rights, social justice and democratic values should not be used to insult an alliance partner. He described Thalapathi’s remarks as unnecessary and objectionable.
Refuting the DMK leader’s claims, Selvaperunthagai said the Congress was functioning with a strong organisational structure across Tamil Nadu.
He said the process of forming booth committees had reached 100 percent completion, while 85 percent of village committees had already been constituted. He added that through organisational restructuring and village-level outreach programmes, the Congress was taking up issues related to people’s rights, dignity and livelihoods directly to the public.
Accusing Thalapathi of undermining the spirit of alliance politics and publicly insulting the Congress and its Members of Parliament, Selvaperunthagai demanded that immediate action be taken against him. On behalf of the Tamil Nadu Congress, he appealed to Chief Minister MK Stalin to initiate appropriate action.
The latest controversy has now escalated into a major flashpoint between the DMK and the Congress in Tamil Nadu.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Subash Chandra Bose)
