Chennai, June 5:
Wounded by what it termed as the “betrayal” of the Congress, which broke ranks and allied with the ruling TVK after the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, the DMK on Thursday announced its decision to boycott the June 8 meeting of the Congress-led INDIA bloc to be held in New Delhi.
This was announced in a statement issued by the DMK headquarters this evening. It said that though an invitation was extended to the DMK to attend the June 8 meeting at the Constitution Club in New Delhi, the Dravidian party has decided not to take part in it, respecting the sentiments of party cadres who were deeply hurt by the Congress’ move after the recent Assembly polls.
While deciding to stay away from the meeting, the DMK said it would continue to raise its voice in support of other INDIA bloc parties, excluding the Congress, on issues affecting the country’s welfare.
Recalling its role, the DMK said it had remained a prime force in the INDIA alliance, standing in the forefront and extending wholehearted support against issues such as the SIR exercise, One Nation One Election, Waqf Amendment Bill, and FCRA Amendment, which it said went against democracy, secularism, and state rights.
The party said it had fought these issues democratically in Parliament, in the State Assembly, and in public forums, besides approaching courts at appropriate times seeking justice. It added that since the inception of the Congress-led INDIA bloc, DMK president M K Stalin had been among the first to raise his voice on key public issues, a fact acknowledged by other alliance partners.
“Since the DMK cadres are wounded by the betrayal of the Congress after the Tamil Nadu elections, the party has decided not to take part in the June 8 meeting in Delhi,” the statement reiterated.
It may be recalled that in the Assembly elections, the TVK ended the six-decade-long Dravidian dominance by emerging as the single largest party. However, it lacked sufficient numbers to form the government on its own. The Congress, within days of the results, broke ranks with the DMK, extended support with its five MLAs, and later joined the Cabinet headed by Chief Minister and TVK founder Vijay.
This marked the Congress’ return to power in Tamil Nadu after nearly 59 years, since the end of its rule in 1967 when the Kamaraj/Bhaktavatsalam government was defeated in the polls.