From architect to adversary: DMK rupture pushes INDIA bloc into another crisis

The INDIA bloc may have been formally launched on a sweltering Patna afternoon in June 2023, but its political origins can be traced back to Chennai where, three months before its official unveiling, the idea first took shape with DMK chief M K Stalin pitching for a united Opposition front led by the Congress. In a striking twist of political irony, three years on, it is the DMK that appears to have authored the most compelling epitaph for the INDIA bloc, an alliance that has weathered repeated existential crises since its inception but now finds itself facing perhaps its most serious rupture yet. Speaking at an event in Chennai on March 1, 2023, to mark his 70th birthday, Stalin, in the presence of several heavyweight Opposition leaders, had appealed to parties to ''strengthen the hands of Rahul Gandhi''. ''Political parties should rise above differences and stand together as a unified force to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. Talks of a third front are pointless,'' Stalin had said. A known proponent of Rahul Gandhi -- now the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha -- as the Opposition's prime ministerial candidate, his remarks aligned closely with the Congress' position. On Friday, DMK MP and a key member of the party's first family, Kanimozhi, wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla requesting ''suitable changes'' in the seating arrangement of DMK MPs in the House, citing the ''end'' of the party's alliance with the Congress, which has now aligned with the TVK. Even as the dramatic fallout between the Congress and the DMK has triggered unease among other constituents of the INDIA bloc, most parties have chosen to tread cautiously. Publicly, parties such as the TMC have refrained from sharp reactions, though many privately hold the Congress responsible for precipitating the current crisis. Behind the TMC's guarded stance is also Rahul Gandhi's personal outreach to TMC supremo and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the aftermath of the party's debilitating defeat at the hands of the BJP, and his advice to his own party members not to gloat over her loss. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, despite signalling his disapproval of the Congress' decision through a cryptic social media post, avoided a direct response when questioned on the matter in Kolkata on Thursday. Instead, he framed his reply in measured terms, stating that ''the Opposition will sit together and chart the future roadmap.'' ''We are not the ones who leave during difficult times,'' Yadav wrote on X on Friday, accompanying the post with images from his meetings with Banerjee, as well as Stalin. Yadav's position on the issue will be keenly watched, as in Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly polls are due in 2027, the SP and the Congress could put up a joint fight, unlike in 2021 when the Congress had gone solo. Speaking to PTI, Rajya Sabha members from two major regional parties admitted to being taken aback by the Congress' sudden decision to part ways with the DMK and align with actor-turned-politician Vijay's TVK, without prior consultation with its alliance partners. ''You claim leadership of the INDIA bloc, and then take a decision that effectively jeopardises its very existence when it is needed more than ever before. Should the Congress not have consulted alliance members before making such a consequential move?'' said an MP, requesting anonymity. Another Rajya Sabha MP from an INDIA bloc constituent offered a nuanced take, suggesting that the Congress' move could be interpreted through the prism of preventing Tamil Nadu from slipping into the NDA's fold. However, when asked whether the decision had undermined Opposition unity, the MP struck a cautious note: ''Let us wait and watch. It is too early to draw sweeping conclusions.'' Congress MP Manickam Tagore, who emerged as the face of the anti-DMK lobby within the Congress in recent months, suggested that the party's move was aimed at preventing the NDA from coming to power in Tamil Nadu. He alleged that the DMK had begun parleys with the AIADMK, an NDA member, ''with the BJP's blessings'' for government formation. Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil, considered a close associate of Rahul Gandhi, also took a dig at the DMK, which dubbed the Congress' step to tie up with the TVK as ''backstabbing''. Senthil, without naming the DMK, accused it of attempting to open the doors for the ''BJP's influence'' in the state. ''If acting in the interest of the state, respecting the people's mandate, and protecting Tamil Nadu's secular character is called 'backstabbing,' then one must also ask: what should we call desperate attempts to cling to power by going against the people's verdict and opening the doors for the BJP's influence in the state?'' Senthil posted on X. The belief in the TVK's ''anti-BJP'' credentials, which Tagore referred to in his post, is also keeping alive hope among some in the Opposition camp that ''all is not lost'', a factor that the Left parties also considered while announcing support for the TVK on Friday. What has, however, taken many in the Opposition camp by surprise is the haste with which the Congress abandoned the DMK and hitched its wagon to the TVK, particularly given the ''warmth'' that Rahul Gandhi and Stalin appeared to share. Indeed, the leadership question has dogged the INDIA bloc from the beginning. While not everyone exited the alliance, as JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar did after being denied the opportunity to lead it, it was evident that not all non-Congress leaders had faith in Rahul Gandhi as its face. Mamata Banerjee, for instance, had in December 2024 unequivocally pitched herself as the leader who could steady the INDIA bloc, which was battered by a series of defeats across states following a creditable performance in the Lok Sabha elections that saw the BJP's tally dip to 240, well below the halfway mark of 272. ''Stalin remained an exception throughout, as he steadfastly backed Rahul as the captain of the ship. Even ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Stalin said he did not harbour any ambition to lead the INDIA bloc as he knew his limitations,'' said a Rajya Sabha MP of a key INDIA bloc party. ''For Rahul Gandhi to ditch his most loyal alliance partner in such a manner makes no sense. But that's Rahul Gandhi for you, whimsical as ever,'' the MP said.

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