The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has formally requested a separate seating arrangement for its Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha following the breakdown of its alliance with the Indian National Congress after the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Chennai
DMK Parliamentary Party leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi has written to Om Birla seeking an independent seating block for DMK MPs in the Lok Sabha. In her communication, Kanimozhi stated that the political relationship between the DMK and Congress had undergone a significant change following the collapse of the alliance, making the current shared seating arrangement no longer appropriate.
She urged the Lok Sabha Speaker to make the necessary arrangements to allocate separate seating for the DMK Parliamentary Party so that its members could function independently and carry out their parliamentary duties effectively.
The request comes in the wake of major political developments in Tamil Nadu after the recently concluded Assembly elections. The Congress had contested the polls as part of the DMK-led alliance, but political equations changed dramatically after the election results produced a fractured mandate in the state.
Following the elections, the Congress extended support to actor-politician C. Joseph Vijay and his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, a move that reportedly angered the DMK leadership.
Senior DMK leaders reacted strongly to the Congress decision, accusing the national party of political betrayal at a critical moment. During meetings involving newly elected DMK legislators and party officials, the leadership openly criticised Congress for shifting its support and altering the political landscape after the elections.
Political observers view the request for separate seating in Parliament as more than a procedural matter. It is being seen as a symbolic indication of the widening distance between the two parties and a formal acknowledgment that their alliance has effectively ended.
The DMK and Congress had worked closely together for several years in both Tamil Nadu and at the national level, often presenting a united front against the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies. The latest developments, however, suggest a significant reshaping of opposition politics in Tamil Nadu and potentially at the national level as well.