DMK’s top leadership is reportedly holding discussions on whether the party should move away from what is described as an anti-Hindu political line, amid claims that minority votes have shifted toward the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
According to party sources cited in the report, DMK—rooted in the Dravidian movement—had long benefited electorally from a posture critical of Hindu religion, helping it consolidate minority support. The report recalls that even when DMK allied with the BJP in the 1999 Lok Sabha election and lost a portion of minority votes, it did not face major damage then.
The situation is said to have changed sharply after the recently concluded Assembly election, in which TVK formed the government and the state’s political alignments were reshuffled. The report claims that parties which had won as part of the DMK alliance—including Congress, VCK, Muslim League, CPI(M) and CPI—have since moved toward TVK.
A key development highlighted is the Muslim League’s exit from the DMK alliance after decades of closeness. Muslim League national leader Khader Mohideen is quoted as saying there was strong pressure from within the Muslim community to support the TVK government, and that he had not seen such vocal support for Chief Minister Vijay in his lifetime.
With upcoming Assembly by-elections and local body polls seen as crucial, DMK leaders including M K Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin are said to be in continuous consultations with senior functionaries. A party functionary quoted in the report argues that continuing an anti-Hindu line after losing significant minority support could benefit BJP state president Annamalai, and that DMK may consider a more moderate approach—similar to the “soft” posture associated with MGR and Jayalalithaa—after the by-election results.
