You’ve gotten your say; we have now our method – that’s the message DMK has despatched its allies. In opposition to the backdrop of a number of Congress leaders talking of power-sharing – and the management being strategically ambiguous – DMK deputy common secretary and rural administration minister I Periyasamy on Sunday advised reporters in Dindigul, “Congress has the appropriate to hunt a share in energy, however our chief minister is agency there will probably be no coalition authorities.”

It might not be the ultimate phrase – until M Okay Stalin makes it clear, however that he made considered one of his ministers say that exhibits the chief minister shouldn’t be proud of the posturing Congress has been doing.

The principle ally has been a little bit of an irritant for DMK, as an AICC member saved assembly TVK president Vijay and lots of others saved speaking about an alliance with the actor’s new celebration or cupboard berths within the subsequent DMK-led authorities; all these whereas Rahul Gandhi selected to maintain mum.

By Periyasamy’s assertion, Stalin has conveyed to Congress – and its different allies who could also be nursing the coalition authorities thought – that it isn’t so indispensable.

Push hasn’t come to shove, however DMK is being unfair to its prime ally. Congress has two robust factors of argument in favour of its demand. One, it unconditionally supported the DMK authorities from 2006 to 2011 when Congress had 34 legislators and DMK 96 – method wanting the midway mark of 118 within the 234-member meeting.

So did PMK, which gained 18 seats, CPM (9) and CPI (6), with out being a part of the federal government. Two, DMK was given plum cupboard berths within the two Congress-led UPA governments on the Centre. So, why isn’t coalition dharma a two-way road?

DMK’s argument in opposition to power-sharing is, at finest, specious: Folks don’t like coalition governments. What’s clear is that each the large Dravidian events don’t like coalition governments after they win an meeting election; after they win Lok Sabha elections as a part of a nationwide alliance, energy sharing turns into a basic proper. There’s nothing fallacious with a celebration adopting it as a precept to not share energy, nevertheless it ought to have the wherewithal – a easy majority.

J Jayalalithaa displayed this precept most forcefully in 2016 when she went to the polls and not using a large ally (she had simply half-a-dozen minor events, which collectively gave seven seats) and gained 136 of the 227 seats AIADMK contested.

DMK had a cushty file in 2021, successful 133 of the 173 seats it contested, making no room for any murmur for power-sharing, whereas Congress gained 18 of the 25 seats it contested. This time, each DMK and AIADMK will attempt to maintain 170-plus seats every for themselves, moreover getting the minor allies to contest on ‘rising solar’ and ‘two leaves’ – one thing that will show valuable within the occasion of an in depth name.

Beneath the uneasiness that has crept into Congress’s friendship with DMK is a historical past of bitterness, even betrayal, when M Karunanidhi satisfied Indira Gandhi’s Congress faction to not contest the 1971 meeting election (the Okay Kamaraj-led Congress gained simply 15 seats whereas DMK gained 184 seats) in return for DMK’s help to her Union authorities.

DMK chief M Karunanidhi satisfied Indira Gandhi’s Congress to not contest the 1971 TN meeting election in return for DMK’s help to her authorities

Congress, which dominated the roost until C N Annadurai-led DMK stormed to energy in 1967, by no means recovered from the Karunanidhi-Indira deal. And DMK has since been capable of retain Congress as an obedient ally – a tag in the present day’s TN Congress desires to discard.

No matter be the posturing by both aspect, if DMK – and the minor allies who select to contest on ‘rising solar’ – falls wanting the magical variety of 118, the Dravidian large might need to bow all the way down to the demand for a coalition authorities – whether or not “individuals” prefer it or not.

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