The Congress on Tuesday escalated its political counterattack against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), urging the party to “introspect” after a series of critical remarks published in the DMK’s mouthpiece Murasoli targeted senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over alliance strategies and coalition behaviour within the INDIA bloc and state-level political alignments.

The controversy was triggered after Murasoli published commentary questioning Rahul Gandhi’s political conduct in alliance management, alleging contradictions in the Congress party’s approach to coalition politics. The publication suggested that the Congress had simultaneously criticised alliance partners while also relying on their support during national and state-level elections, a framing that prompted a strong rebuttal from Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu.

Responding to the criticism, Congress ministers S Rajesh Kumar and P Viswanathan, who are part of the TVK-aligned political arrangement in the state, defended their party and accused the DMK of crossing political limits. They said the Congress has consistently supported alliance-based governance and that its political stance is rooted in principles of secularism and democratic cooperation rather than opportunistic adjustments.

The ministers also emphasised that their association with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is based on shared ideological commitments, particularly secularism, social justice, and federalism. They maintained that cooperation within alliances should be guided by mutual respect and collective political responsibility, rather than public criticism of partner parties or their leadership.

In their statement, the Congress leaders also pushed back against the DMK’s claim that the party’s electoral performance in Tamil Nadu is heavily dependent on alliance support. They argued that while coalition politics is a defining feature of the state’s electoral landscape, the DMK itself has historically relied on partnerships to form governments. They cited past elections, including 2006, to suggest that alliance dynamics have consistently shaped political outcomes in Tamil Nadu.

The exchange underscores rising tensions within Tamil Nadu’s complex multi-party ecosystem, where regional and national parties frequently cooperate electorally but often clash over credit-sharing, ideological positioning, and public messaging. With both sides asserting competing narratives over past alliances and present political conduct, the latest confrontation adds to a growing list of intra-bloc disagreements that continue to shape opposition politics in the state and beyond.