Chennai

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Tuesday strongly rejected allegations made by C. Ve. Shanmugam regarding alleged post-election alliance discussions with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, accusing him of making such claims to trigger internal confusion within his own party.

Reacting sharply to Shanmugam’s remarks made earlier in the day, DMK organising secretary R. S. Bharati alleged that the AIADMK leader had already decided to back the government led by C. Joseph Vijay and was therefore making unfounded accusations about a possible DMK-AIADMK post-poll arrangement.

Rejecting the allegation outright, Bharati told reporters in Chennai that DMK president M. K. Stalin had already made it clear that the party would sit in the opposition following the election results.

He said the party had clarified soon after the results that reports of any such political understanding were nothing more than speculation and rumours, and that the DMK’s stand remained unchanged.

Bharati further pointed out that even in the state Assembly, DMK legislature party leader Udhayanidhi Stalin had categorically stated that the party would discharge its responsibilities from the opposition benches.

Commenting on the evolving political situation in Tamil Nadu, Bharati said the state was beginning to witness trends such as defections and minority governments—developments he claimed were more commonly associated with politics in northern India.

He accused Shanmugam of attempting to divert public attention by dragging the DMK into the controversy, asserting that unlike several other political formations, the DMK had remained united and intact regardless of electoral victories or defeats.

The senior DMK leader also described Shanmugam as being driven by a desire for power and said it remained to be seen whether Vijay—who contested the April 23 Assembly polls promising an alternative to both the DMK and AIADMK—would eventually accommodate the AIADMK faction within his alliance.

Earlier in the day, while announcing the AIADMK’s decision to sever ties with the NDA and extend support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government, Shanmugam claimed that a proposal had been floated to form an AIADMK-led government with support from the DMK. However, he said a majority of party legislators opposed the idea and instead chose to support the TVK.

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He also maintained that any alliance with the DMK would threaten the very identity of the AIADMK, noting that the party was founded in opposition to the DMK and had maintained that political stance for over five decades.