Ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, the political landscape between the government and the opposition is beginning to unfold. The opposition believes that just as the government attempted to pass the delimitation bill in the last session, its unity prevented it from passing. The government will attempt this again this monsoon session. The opposition believes that due to the split in the Trinamool Congress and the Shiv Sena-Uddhav faction, the government is slowly moving towards a two-thirds majority. This is where the DMK, which has separated from the India Alliance, comes into play. If the DMK’s 22 MPs join the government in the Lok Sabha, the NDA will come very close to achieving a two-thirds majority.
BJP leaders believe this is possible because the DMK is now separate from the India Alliance and has demanded seats to sit separately from the Congress in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, a demand accepted by the Chairmen of both houses. It is worth noting that the DMK was part of the NDA during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure.
Sensing this move by the government, the opposition has begun efforts to woo the DMK. Thirumavalavan, head of the VCK party, which was part of the DMK alliance in Tamil Nadu, has stated that while the TVK and DMK may fight against each other in Tamil Nadu, they can unite against the BJP at the national level. However, Thirumavalavan’s party, the VCK, which was part of the DMK alliance, has now left the alliance and joined the TVK government. The Congress party, which followed suit in Tamil Nadu, is now part of the government. This angered the DMK and has withdrawn from the All India Alliance.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Congress MP Jothimani has supported VCK chief Thirumavalavan’s statement, saying that the issue here is not about the DMK, Congress, TVK, or VCK; it is about the future of the country. Earlier, voters used to select parties, but now the BJP is selecting voters through SIRs. Then there was the Delimitation Bill, and then there was One Nation One Election. To save the country from all this, everyone will have to come together. Jothimani has been considered an opponent of the DMK.
Not only this, Tamil Nadu Congress President Manickam Tagore, who opposed contesting the assembly elections with the DMK, told the media that on April 17, when the government introduced the Delimitation Bill in Parliament, the DMK voted against the government with the All India Alliance, and Stalin burned a copy of the bill. The DMK’s ideology is also against the BJP and RSS. The DMK has also supported our campaign to save the Constitution and protect the federal structure, and I don’t think there has been any change in the situation since April. We have been together on national issues, and this can continue.
The delimitation bill is an issue on which the DMK could join the opposition camp, but is that easy? Since Thirumavalavan’s statement hasn’t been addressed by the DMK. The DMK is now out of power, a significant pain for any political party. Secondly, the DMK views Congress’s alliance with TVK as a breach of promise or betrayal. This is why the bitterness between the two parties persists. It remains to be seen who will take the first step in thawing the frosty relationship between the Congress and the DMK.