New Delhi: Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi Monday spoke to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder Vijay to convey his condolences over the loss of lives in a stampede at a rally held by the actor-turned-politician Sunday, Congress sources said.
Gandhi, who is currently on a visit to South America, also spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief M.K. Stalin to enquire about the stampede. On X, Stalin thanked Rahul Gandhi for the call. There was no official word from Vijay, who considers the DMK his political foe and the BJP an ideological opponent, about the conversation.
However, the interaction comes at a time when a section of the Tamil Nadu Congress is unhappy with the state of its alliance with the ruling DMK ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.
Last week, Tamil Nadu Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader S. Rajeshkumar created a flutter by saying that the party, which was allotted 25 seats to contest the 2021 polls as part of the DMK-led alliance, should demand a larger share of the pie this time.
He also said that the Congress high command should push for a DMK-Congress coalition government next time. Not long after, there was a face-off between Congress MP from Tamil Nadu’s Karur, Jothimani, and DMK leader V. Senthil Balaji over the latter purportedly engineering defections from the Congress. Jothimani is considered close to Rahul.
She voiced the disquiet within the Congress ranks after Balaji posted images of the induction of a few Congress leaders, including the party’s Karur town women’s wing chief, into the DMK. In a post on X, she said coalition dharma should be mutual and that the Congress would never accept such “disrespect” in the name of coalition.
She wrote: “This is not the first time such an incident has occurred. A coalition is built on the foundation of principles, mutual understanding, cooperation, trust and respect. Under no circumstances can there be any compromise on these values.
“As the Congress party’s Member of Parliament from the Karur constituency, I have the duty and responsibility to respond to this and protect the self-respect of the Congress party. Such disrespect cannot be easily overlooked.”
Later, Balaji deleted his post. In July, there was another dispute between the two allies over DMK Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva’s comments that former Tamil Nadu chief minister and Congress stalwart K. Kamaraj couldn’t sleep without an air-conditioner.
The Congress state leadership had lashed out at Siva over his remarks, prompting Stalin, who shares a personal rapport with Rahul, to intervene to cool tempers.
Speaking to ThePrint Monday, a Congress MP from Tamil Nadu said more than the state Congress, the DMK would be curious about Rahul’s call to Vijay.
“The official version is that it was a call made out of political decency to convey condolences. It must be kept in mind that Vijay had congratulated Rahul Gandhi when he had taken over as the Lok Sabha LoP. One should not read too much into one call. Congress’s alliance with DMK is time-tested. We have fought two Lok Sabha polls and one assembly election together. Yes, there are voices in the state Congress pitching for more seats. But these calls are taken by the high command ahead of the elections,” the MP said.
The MP added that “as of now”, the Congress’s relationship with DMK was on a sound footing. “When we are in a marriage, why should we speak about another one? We just hope the usual internal consultation process in the party takes place during seat-sharing.”
Speaking to ThePrint, Dr Sunilkumar V., an assistant professor at a private deemed university in Tamil Nadu, said that while every move by a politician is guided by strategy, Rahul’s call to Vijay appeared to be a conscious effort to present himself as attentive and connected to the state’s public sentiment, reinforcing his political presence in the region.
“Rahul Gandhi has greater goodwill among the people in the state compared to Narendra Modi, and gestures like this call help him maintain that positive image,” he said.
Political analyst Sumanth Raman said he believes the Congress will not leave the alliance with the DMK. “They will make noises like this to use it as a bargaining chip to get more seats, but they won’t leave.”
Sunilkumar V. echoed Raman, saying while the Congress may use TVK as leverage to secure more seats, the alliance with the DMK remains central to its strategy. “The Congress-DMK alliance is seen as very natural, especially in electoral politics. In parliamentary elections, this alliance helps Congress win more seats, while in assembly elections, it is generally more beneficial to the DMK. Although Congress lacks a strong grassroots foundation in Tamil Nadu, except in Kanyakumari district, it has consistently performed better in elections as part of the DMK alliance than when contesting alone.”
DMK spokesperson T.K.S. Elangovan told ThePrint that Rahul’s call to Vijay should not be viewed through a political lens. “A political party leader called another to express grief over the loss of supporters in a stampede during the latter’s rally. The tragedy should not be politicised, and neither should the conversation between Vijay and Rahul Gandhi,” he said.
With inputs from Prabhakar Thamilarasu
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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