Chennai, May 26:
Jothimani, Member of Parliament from Karur representing the Indian National Congress, has asserted that while the party remains a committed ally of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, it cannot support any political moves that weaken democracy, including what she termed as “horse-trading politics.”
In a statement, she said the Congress would firmly stand with the TVK government in delivering good governance to the people of Tamil Nadu, but clarified that the alliance did not imply unconditional backing for every political strategy adopted by the ruling party.
Stating that the people of Tamil Nadu had elected Vijay with expectations of a quality administration, she noted that there were already visible signs of him understanding the responsibility and acting accordingly. “As an alliance partner, Congress will certainly support him in providing a good government. But that does not mean we can endorse every method chosen by TVK. Those methods must strengthen democracy, not weaken it,” she said.
Jothimani strongly criticised attempts to justify “horse-trading politics,” alleging that such practices had historically been used by the Bharatiya Janata Party to weaken democracy and destabilise Congress governments in several states.
“The BJP has repeatedly used horse trading against the people’s mandate to prevent Congress from forming governments or continuing in power in states where the people elected us,” she said.
She emphasised that the Congress could not adopt a dual stand by opposing horse trading outside Tamil Nadu while supporting it within the State. “If Congress acts as a force weakening democracy, it would become a historical betrayal of the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as the party’s principles,” she added.
Backing Rahul Gandhi’s political line, she said that at a time when he was fighting uncompromisingly for democratic values and ideology, any attempt to weaken that struggle could not be accepted.