Defeat And Betrayal Are Nothing New For DMK, Says TR Baalu After Congress Supports TVK
TVK, which won 108 seats, has secured the support of 5 Congress MLAs. They are however still short of majority mark of 118.
Published : May 6, 2026 at 10:15 PM IST
Chennai: In light of the Congress party extending its support to the TVK, DMK Treasurer TR Baalu has issued a scathing statement, asserting that neither defeat nor betrayal is anything new to their party.
Baalu said, "The statement issued on behalf of the All India Congress Committee has exposed a true nature of theirs that had remained concealed for some time. Whenever the Congress party faced critical situations or crises, it was the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) that stood by them as a steadfast ally. The price we paid for this loyalty was high; yet, we bore it with a smile."
"Specifically, we maintained an excellent rapport with Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister late Dr. Manmohan Singh, and shared a deep personal bond of affection with Rahul Gandhi. He, too, has often remarked, 'Stalin is the only political leader I address as a brother.' When I saw the news today—that the Congress party has declared these ties to be severed—I felt, for some reason, no sense of shock or surprise," added Baalu.
"Having secured the majority of seats within the Secular Progressive Alliance, contested the elections, and won thanks to the hard work of the alliance parties' cadres, they have now—in an act of sheer perfidy—defected to the opposing camp, effectively using their 5 elected MLAs as bargaining chips. The Congress party is attempting to justify this move by giving it a veneer of ideology, as if they have executed some grand act of political statesmanship," the senior DMK leader said.
"This attempt to mask sheer opportunism with a facade of principle is glaringly transparent and laughable. It constitutes a blatant act of betrayal against the people who cast their votes in the firm belief that a DMK-led government would be formed. The BJP, meanwhile, seeks to attain power through backdoor channels. The Congress party has done in Tamil Nadu exactly what it has been doing in several other states," he said.
According to Baalu, the Congress party was free to support whomever it chooses and that was entirely its prerogative.
"However, regardless of whom it supports, remaining true to the people who cast their votes constitutes the fundamental political ethic. The memories of the 2019 election—specifically the moment in Chennai when MK Stalin proposed Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate—remain vivid in my mind; this occurred at a time when the Congress party itself hesitated to officially project him as its Prime Ministerial face while facing the polls," he said.
"By projecting Rahul Gandhi as its leader across two consecutive elections, the DMK alliance secured resounding victories and sent the highest number of Members of Parliament to the national legislature compared to any other coalition in the country. The DMK has consistently stood shoulder-to-shoulder—both inside and outside Parliament—offering unwavering support on both ideological and emotional fronts. Defeat is not new to us, nor is betrayal. However, we also know that neither is permanent. Time will provide the answer," he concluded.
