‘Who will trust us again?’ Mani Shankar Aiyar slams Congress-TVK alliance’s gamble in Tamil Nadu

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar The Grand Old Party on Friday questioned the decision of supporting actor-politician Vijay and his Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam, calling the move “horrible”, morally questionable and politically reckless. In an interview with PTIl, Aiyar accused the Congress party of abandoning its long-time ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Immediately after campaigning together. He attributed the Congress party’s five parliamentary victories entirely to the DMK-led alliance and not to its own organizational strength.“This is an inexcusable violation of Mahatma Gandhi’s 1925 dictum that ‘Swaraj should be a government based on morality’,” Aiyar said, questioning whether the Congress party had chosen “Chanakya” over Gandhi in politics.The Congress party on Wednesday severed ties with the DMK and announced support for Vijay’s TVK to help form the government in Tamil Nadu. The move marks one of the biggest political shifts in the state in recent years after TVK shocked the DMK and the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagam by winning 108 seats in the 234-member assembly.With the support of five MLAs from the Congress party, the TVK alliance currently has 112 seats, still short of a majority of 118. The CPI and CPI(M), which hold two seats each, are discussing whether to extend support to Vijay, a move that could push the alliance closer to power.Aiyar, however, warned that the Congress party was sacrificing morality and long-term political wisdom for immediate gains. “Is this moral or politically wise?” he asked. He said the party had shown itself to be “less driven by good behavior, self-denial and self-sacrifice as taught by the Mahatma, and more by immediate rewards”.He also questioned why Congress would abandon a partner that has stood by it through political setbacks. Referring to the DMK’s support for Rahul Gandhi, Aiyar wrote in a scathing article in Hindutva, “How can the Congress party be justified in failing its only partner in the Indian bloc who has declared ‘brother’ Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister?”Aiyar believes the Congress’s decision may inadvertently help the BJP gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu politics. “If this helps the BJP get a backdoor entry into the golden ‘Chantami Day’ political ethos of Dravidian Tamil Nadu, it will be the worst own goal in the history of political football,” he wrote.The Congress’ decision has triggered a strong reaction from the DMK, which called the move a “stab in the back”. Meanwhile, protests broke out in Chennai and Madurai with Congress workers demanding Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Alekha invite Vijay to form the government as the leader of the single largest organization.Aiyar’s intervention once again put the veteran leader at odds with the Congress leadership. His controversial comments have repeatedly embarrassed the party over the years. In recent months, he has publicly distanced himself from Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, declaring: “I am a Gandhian, I am a Nehruvian, I am a Rajite, but I am not a Rahulite.”