Just Spamming | Congress Came Close to Repeating 1989 Faux Pas

No one is sure as to what will befall the present DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu when the bugle is sounded for the 2026 Assembly elections. For, the key to the future political alignment in the State is now held by the Congress, the party that could not capture power after its historic debacle in 1967. Though there is no visible sign of the Congress gearing up to form the government in the State, there were enough indications of the party wanting to walk out of the present coalition. While there are some who suspect that the repeated muscle flexing by different Congress honchos in different forms is just to strike a bargain for a few more seats, the bluster was seemingly an expression of a desire to break free from the stronghold of the DMK.

The present tie-up with the DMK that began 10 years ago for the 2016 Assembly polls was firmed up after M K Stalin took over as DMK president in 2018. Since then the two parties have sailed the political waters together facing several storms though some Congress leaders have expressed minor resentments over insignificant issues that were smoothened by Congress leaders themselves. Very recently some Congress leaders tried to kick up a storm over a statement by DMK leader in the Rajya Sabha, Trichy Siva, that former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had installed air conditioners in government guest houses when the late K Kamaraj of the Congress developed some health issues that required air conditioning in his room.

Crying foul over that, Congress leaders tried to establish that Kamaraj was known for his humility and would not have wanted air conditioners in his room but some persons provided evidence of the national leader using air conditioners. Anyway TNCC leader K Selvaperunthagai brought peace before the controversy caused any damage to the alliance. To put it otherwise, even if some Congress leaders felt that the party was getting a short shrift from the DMK that could not form a government without Congress support in many ways, some senior Congress leaders saw it as a quid pro quo. They realized the importance of the tie-up as the Congress also needed the DMK to win seats in both the Lok Sabha and State Assembly.

So the alliance was continuing precariously till the AICC in charge of Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar opened a Pandora’s Box stating that the Congress had endeared itself to the people of the State and that it deserved a share in power. Also barged in another AICC honcho, Praveen Chakravory into the scene, first by openly meeting Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam founder and president Vijay for a prolonged conversation and then by criticizing the DMK government. Selvaperunthagai did his bit to douse the fire that might have burned down the alliance edifice while some leaders in the State Congress and in the alliance objected to the behavior of the AICC leaders.

When it looked that the controversy had blown over, another Congress leader from Tamil Nadu, Manickam Tagore, who is the Congress whip in the Lok Sabha, rose in anger castigating those alliance party leaders. His contention was that the demand of the alliance parties for action against the Congress leaders amounted to crossing the limits, which pushed the alliance to the precipice. It was an indication that the top brass of the Congress would probably switch over to the TVK for an alliance.

It was that speculation that brought back memories of the 1989 State Assembly elections that saw the Congress steering clear of both the ‘Dravidian parties’ and going to polls with just the minor United Communist Party of India (UCPI) of D Pandian as ally. The DMK and AIADMK had formed their own coalitions to face the elections that saw most of the parties in a fragmented state. The AIADMK had splintered into the Jayalalithaa and Janaki factions and even the Congress was split with thespian ‘Sivaji’ Ganesan breaking away and forming his own party, the Tamilaga Munnetra Munnani. The Congress, led by G K Moopanar, turned adventurous and went without an alliance with either the DMK or AIADMK, shrugging off the party’s usual style of riding piggyback with one of them. It led to the Congress biting the dust in the election.

Though a section of the TNCC leaders like Vazhapadi Ramamurthy had then warned against rejecting an alliance with either of the Dravidian parties, Moopanar, ignored them. Similarly, it looked as though the Congress high command was ignoring the warnings of its TNCC leaders and following the advice of leaders with no connection with Tamil Nadu like a Chakravorty or Chodankar. When the high command in Delhi took a decision on alliance against the opinion of Moopanar-led TNCC in 1996 and went with the AIADMK, hell broke loose at Sathyamurthy Bhavan in Chennai, giving birth to the TMC. Yes, the Congress State unit, led by Moopanar broke away to form an independent party and captured power, too.

That slice of history was almost repeated until Chodanakar, the man who started it all, dispelled the fears on Saturday saying that the tie-up with TVK is only a myth and that the alliance with the DMK was on firm grounding with seat sharing talks going on in full swing. So the Congress avoided the repetition of a 1989 like faux pas and averted a 1996 like disaster in 2026