The bitterness between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its former ally Congress has now spilled out into the open. The friction comes, months after the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, where Congress contested as part of the DMK-led alliance and later switched sides and joined actor-politician Vijay's TVK-led government. In an editorial published after the INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi on June 8, DMK's official mouthpiece Murasoli questioned Rahul Gandhi's credibility on coalition politics and argued that many of the alliance's current troubles stem from Congress's own actions.
It asked, “If the INDIA alliance has produced poison instead of nectar, who was responsible for churning it in the first place?”
Shiva analogy turned against Rahul Gandhi
The attack was triggered by Rahul Gandhi's remarks during the INDIA bloc meeting, where he said the Congress must accept criticism from its allies and absorb it in the same way Lord Shiva consumed poison.
Referring to that statement, Murasoli said: “Yet even in the mythological story Rahul invokes, Shiva did not create the poison. The poison emerged when gods and demons churned the cosmic ocean in search of nectar, and Shiva merely drank it to save the world.”
Using the same analogy, the editorial turned the spotlight back on Congress and questioned whether the party itself had contributed to the divisions now troubling the opposition alliance.
The DMK mouthpiece argued that Rahul Gandhi's call for unity came far too late.
“Rahul Gandhi has now delivered a lecture on opposition unity. It is a rather belated realization. After all, was it not Rahul himself who weakened this unity in state after state?” the editorial said.
While Gandhi had told alliance partners that “The Congress Party’s role, as many of you have stated, is to unite all of you together with love and affection,” Murasoli claimed that Congress's political conduct often told a different story.
The editorial suggested that Gandhi publicly released his speech days after the meeting because criticism of Congress from alliance partners had intensified and he felt compelled to place his version of events on record.
Kerala example revived in fresh attack
A significant portion of the editorial focused on Congress's relationship with Left parties in Kerala.
The newspaper recalled Rahul Gandhi's remarks during previous election campaigns when he had accused the Left Democratic Front government and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of having a tacit understanding with the BJP.
According to Murasoli, these comments drew strong objections from Left leaders. The editorial cited CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, who had accused Gandhi of spreading falsehoods by alleging a secret understanding between the Left and the BJP. It also referred to CPI General Secretary D Raja, who reportedly described Gandhi's remarks as an example of “political immaturity.”
The newspaper argued that such attacks raised questions about whether Congress was targeting its allies more aggressively than its political opponents. Seeking to strengthen its argument, Murasoli pointed to criticism of Congress from several INDIA bloc constituents.
The editorial claimed that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had raised concerns over the absence of both the DMK and the Aam Aadmi Party from a recent INDIA bloc meeting. It also referred to concerns reportedly raised by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav regarding Congress's conduct in Bihar.
According to the editorial, what was meant to be a discussion on opposition unity increasingly became a platform where alliance partners expressed dissatisfaction with Congress.
Why is DMK's anger against the grand old party?
The attack comes at a time when relations between the DMK and Congress have become increasingly strained in Tamil Nadu.
After contesting the 2026 Assembly elections as part of the DMK-led alliance and winning five seats, Congress later exited the alliance and joined actor-politician Vijay's TVK-led government as a coalition partner.
Drawing parallels with national politics, Murasoli alleged that Congress had repeatedly undermined the DMK despite benefiting from the alliance. It further claimed that the decision of Congress legislators to join the ruling coalition was taken with the knowledge and approval of the party's central leadership.
DMK IT wing calls Rahul Gandhi a ‘massive joke’
The criticism was not limited to the editorial. In a separate social media attack, the DMK's IT wing accused Congress of abandoning the alliance after benefiting from it electorally.
“We carried the INC on our shoulders when they were fighting for their political survival, only for them to jump ship the second they saw a shiny new toy,” the post stated. The message ended with a direct jibe at the Congress leader, calling Rahul Gandhi “a massive joke.”
Also Read: DMK-Congress rift deepens: MK Stalin's party to skip INDIA bloc's June 8 meeting
