Chennai, June 16:
Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday clarified that the DMK has not withdrawn from the INDIA alliance, amid speculation following its absence from a recent coordination meeting in Delhi.
The clarification comes after the DMK chose to skip last week’s INDIA alliance meeting, triggering criticism from some Congress leaders, including Manickam Tagore.
Addressing reporters, Chidambaram said there is a clear distinction between not attending a meeting and exiting the alliance. “The DMK has not said it is leaving the INDIA alliance. Not participating in a meeting is different from withdrawing. I have received no information suggesting that the DMK has quit the alliance,” he stated.
The remarks come in the backdrop of recent political developments in Tamil Nadu, where the Congress, after being in alliance with the DMK for nearly two decades, shifted its stance following the Assembly election outcomes.
Chidambaram’s statement is seen as an attempt to downplay tensions within the opposition bloc and reaffirm that the DMK remains part of the broader INDIA alliance.