Key allies take swipe at DMK, Stalin for organising religious conferences

VCK, CPI, CPI (M) have accused the DMK of “saffronising education at the conference held for Lord Murugan”

Allies who have been going strong with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) since 2019, have started speaking out against the MK Stalin-led party’s governance and administration recently, people familiar with the matter said.

Allies who have been going strong with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) since 2019, have started speaking out against the MK Stalin-led party’s governance and administration (PTI)

According one of the party workers, the Viduthalai Chirutaigal Katchi (VCK), CPI, CPI (M) have accused the DMK of “saffronising education at the conference held for Lord Murugan”. The conference had passed resolutions such as school students to sing Hindu religious hymn “Kandha Shashti Kavasam” in temples during religious events, organising competitions on devotional literature involving Lord Murugan in schools and colleges run by temples managed by HR&CE department, and including learnings of Murugan as part of the college curriculum.

That they organised the conference, which is a far cry from the party’s rationalist beginnings, came under attack by the DMK’s ideological fount, the Dravida Kazhagam (DK). DMK’s allies had boycotted governor R N Ravi’s at home reception organised for Independence Day, but Stalin and a dozen ministers besides the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had attended the event.

“So far it’s clear that there is no rapprochement between the AIADMK and BJP so the AIADMK is an option for us going into 2026,” said a senior leader belonging to the DMK’s coalition. “We also want to contest for a higher number of seats. We have been compromising so we put up a strong opposition against the BJP which has worked.”

A second ally said that the DMK must not water down its ideology to play to the gallery in its effort to counter BJP’s Hindutva. “There are two anti-BJP parties now-the DMK and AIADMK,” the leader said. “Regional parties like us and voters have an option between the two now if they want to side with secularism. So the DMK should not alienate its core voters by organising religious conferences.”

A week after the Lok Sabha polls, DMK’s main ally Congress sparked a row after their new chief V Selvapeunthagai questioned their continued reliance on the Dravidian majority in Tamil Nadu. It was quelled after senior Congress leaders said that they cannot be ungrateful to the DMK. Since the allies have been vocal over the series of murders across the state, a hooch tragedy.

With preparations underway for the 2026 assembly elections, this isn’t a good sign for the DMK. For allies, more options opened up since the AIADMK split with the BJP and actor Vijay finalised his entry for 2026. Hitherto, their only option if they wanted to be on the side of secularism was DMK. Leaders in VCK and Left parties also believe that the time has come for Tamil Nadu to have a coalition government since the allies have helped the DMK win every election since 2019.

After the AIADMK and BJP came together to fight the 2019 parliamentary elections, the DMK-led a formidable coalition of the Secular Progressive Front, including the Congress, Left parties and the VCK.

After the AIADMK left the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), most of the allies such as the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) jumped ship to the BJP. The split made it a three cornered contest in the state for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections which the DMK-led INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc swept winning all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry.

Chief minister M K Stalin is concerned in keeping his flock together against EPS, says political analyst Maalan Narayanan. “It is a threat for the DMK that EPS will be wooing their allies. Stalin is worried about that and he is also trying to solve the several internal problems that the DMK is facing at the grassroot level,” Narayanan said.