“Congress Lived Off Labour Of Others”: DMK Youth Wing Sharpens Attack On Former Ally

The war of words between DMK and Congress has deepened, as the DMK youth wing branded the Congress decision to quit the alliance after the election as “betrayal”, while the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) hit back, rejecting terms like “betrayal” and “backstabbing” and calling such language politically indecent.

DMK youth wing and Congress dispute over alliance exit

TNCC responded first on X, issuing a statement that challenged the tone of the DMK attack. TNCC said, “Difference of opinion are natural in democratic politics, but expressing them through unnecessary words and accusations is not benefiting political decency. TNCC completely rejects accusations of treason and backstabbing levelled against us,” the statement declared.

The latest clash followed a key DMK youth wing meeting at the party headquarters in Chennai, the first since the recent poll defeat. Former chief minister M K Stalin and deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin attended, and functionaries reportedly raised slogans against Congress and the party’s Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi during the session.

DMK youth wing and Congress debate election credit

A resolution adopted at the DMK youth wing meeting directly accused Congress of disloyalty. It said Congress “betrayed” DMK and added, “Congress won several MLAs and MPs over the years only because of the efforts of the DMK cadre. Even in the recently concluded assembly election, Congress managed to win five assembly seats due to the work carried out by DMK functionaries.”

The same resolution recalled DMK support in Parliament. It noted that Congress, “despite being a national party, secured a Rajya Sabha seat before the election with the support of DMK MLAs, but shifted camps overnight without even expressing gratitude,” and argued that this behaviour ignored “basic political civility” expected from an organisation described as a historic movement.

DMK’s youth wing also alleged a pattern in Congress conduct, claiming the party had a record of “living off the labour of others” and “betraying allies for convenience”. It argued that Congress ministers in the present govt were elected due to voters backing DMK rule, not because of the Congress party’s “independent influence” or strength.

The youth wing further charged that some Congress leaders were projecting the latest electoral outcome as personal glory. It said they were “falsely claiming to have created history” despite, according to DMK, lacking enough support to win alone. This was the second major DMK criticism after a similar attack at a recent district secretaries’ meeting.

Congress legislative party leader S Rajesh Kumar countered the narrative, saying DMK was wrong to claim allies always won only due to DMK votes. Rajesh Kumar said, “Since 1967, both DMK and AIADMK did not win any election without an alliance. So, they should stop spreading lies about alliance partners,” arguing that partners contributed significantly to every shared victory.