DMK is being viewed in political circles as searching for new national alignments after finding little room in either the BJP-led alliance or the Congress-led bloc. The party had earlier been part of the Congress-led ‘INDI’ alliance in recent Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
After DMK’s defeat in the Assembly election, the newly victorious TVK formed a coalition government with Congress joining it and securing two ministerial posts. The development is described as a major setback for DMK, which now faces a situation of opposing both BJP and Congress at the national level.
With AIADMK in the BJP-led alliance and TVK in the Congress-led ‘INDI’ bloc, DMK has reportedly attempted to build a “third front.” DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi had met leaders including Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray to discuss the idea, but it did not materialise.
Amid protests in Delhi over the voter special revision issue and demands for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down, two functionaries of the so-called ‘Cockroach Party’—Sourav Das and Asutosh Ranga—were arrested by police for allegedly entering the Jantar Mantar area without authorisation. DMK leader M K Stalin condemned the arrests, and the party’s founder Abhijit Deepke thanked him for the statement.
Political observers say DMK’s outreach and public stance indicate it is turning its attention towards the ‘Cockroach Party’ as it cannot align with either BJP or Congress at present.
