'Wasted 57 Years. How Long Should Congress Plead For Seats?': TNCC Chief's Comment Irks DMK

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief Selvaperunthagai's statement has reportedly irked the DMK raising the possibility of discord among the constituents of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc in the southern state.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief K Selvaperunthagai questioned the duration for which the party should continue to appeal for seats from its ally, emphasizing that it was time for the Congress to enhance its influence and secure power in the 2026 assembly election. Selvaperunthagai's recent statement has reportedly irked the DMK, raising the possibility of discord among the constituents of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc in the southern state.

Addressing party workers at a meeting in Dharmapuri on Wednesday, Selvaperunthagai without naming the DMK or the AIADMK said, "The Congress has been dependent on alliance partners in obtaining seats at the time of elections for 57 years from 1967." 

"This situation should change. The party should grow to apportion seats to other parties instead of asking for seats. The party workers should work hard to establish late Chief Minister Kamaraj's rule," the TNCC chief said, as per a report on PTI.

He called upon the Congress cadres to prepare themselves for the upcoming state assembly election, scheduled to take place in two years.

During the meeting, he asserted that it was crucial to bolster the party infrastructure. "How long will we merely request seats? It's time to enhance our stature and allocate seats to allies," he said.

Selvaperunthagai further lamented that the Congress had "wasted 57 years" without holding power in Tamil Nadu.

The Congress had governed the state for 20 years starting from 1947 but was ousted in the 1967 elections, marking the rise of the DMK and the consolidation of Dravidian politics in the region.

Since then, the Congress has been contesting electoral battles in the shadow of either the DMK or the AIADMK, although it has maintained strong ties with the DMK since 2004.

In 1989, Congress attempted to steer clear of alliances with the Dravidian parties under the leadership of G K Moopanar, the state party chief at the time, but fell short of its objective.

Subsequently, the party experienced a split when Moopanar launched the Tamil Maanila Congress in 1996. However, he later allied with the DMK under the leadership of its then-president M Karunanidhi.

When contacted by IANS, several senior leaders of the DMK had indicated that while party President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is unlikely to directly address Selvaperunthagai's remarks, he would convey the issue to the Congress high command.