Cunning politics of DMK, where votes of alliance partners are swallowed to stay in power, will no longer work in TN: Aadhav Arjuna

CHENNAI: Coming down hard on DMK for its ‘no power-sharing’ stand, TVK general secretary Aadhav Arjuna on Tuesday said, “The kind of cunning politics, where votes of alliance partners are swallowed to stay in power, will no longer work in Tamil Nadu”.

In a hard-hitting post on X that clearly backs the power-sharing demand by Congress and other DMK allies, Arjuna said, “Doesn’t DMK’s approach of using alliance partners whenever needed and discarding them later reflect a feudal mindset?”In today's electoral arena in Tamil Nadu, neither the ruling party nor the party that ruled is in a position to secure 40% of the vote on their own, said Arjuna in his post on Tuesday.

“Leaders who lack mass appeal are at the helm of both parties. They were banking on the vote base of their alliance partners all through their journey towards power. This kind of cunning politics, where votes of alliance partners are swallowed to stay in power, will no longer work in Tamil Nadu,” said Arjuna. The DMK leadership, which demands its allies sign a charter of slavery, needs to be reminded of one thing, he said.

The DMK leadership proudly claimed after the 2024 Lok Sabha election victory that the DMK alliance had taken the lead in 221 constituencies and that such a victory would not have been possible without alliance partners. By their own calculations, DMK contested only 22 parliamentary constituencies (including that of the Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Kazhagam), which convert to just 132 assembly segments, said Arjuna.In the remaining 102 seats, DMK’s alliance partners contested. Congress was allotted nine parliamentary constituencies, equivalent to 54 assembly segments. VCK was given two parliamentary constituencies, equivalent to 12 assembly segments. IUML and MDMK were given one LS seat, equivalent to six segments each. “Why does the DMK refuse to follow the same formula for the upcoming assembly election?” asked Arjuna.“Doesn’t DMK’s approach of using alliance partners whenever needed and discarding them later reflect a feudal mindset? From now on, power cannot be attained in Tamil Nadu without sharing power,” said Arjuna. He added, “This is because the call for a share in governance and power has become the voice of cadres of various parties and people, more than ever.”He said leaders with self-respect who air this voice have emerged.

“The time has come for leaders from oppressed and backward communities to come to power. The time for all parties to assert that ‘power sharing’ was their rightful claim has also arrived,” said Arjuna. The present ruling party (referring to DMK) has created an illusion that it was the only one entitled to wield power, though it comes to power using the vote banks of alliance partners, he said.The DMK cannot escape by branding those who raise this legitimate demand as RSS or BJP, as usual, he said. A party that did not field even a single Muslim candidate in the 22 constituencies it contested in the 2024 election can no longer wear the masks of being the guardian of minorities and oppressed communities, said Arjuna. The self-respect slogan of “a share in governance and a share in power” will be the factor that would decide the outcome of the 2026 assembly election, he added.