Smacks of low political opportunism: Mani Shankar Aiyar slams Congress’ TVK tie-up decision

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - May 08, 2026 02:10 pm IST - New Delhi File photo of Mani Shankar Aiyar. | Photo Credit: R. Ravindran Terming his party's decision to ally with the TVK in Tamil Nadu "dreadful", veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Friday (May 8, 2026) said it smacked of "low political opportunism" and asserted that if the move facilitates the backdoor entry of a "communal BJP" into the Dravidian state then it would prove to be the worst own goal in the history of political football. Mr. Aiyar said he cannot imagine the fathers of the Indian National Congress blessing such "politics of expediency". Speaking with PTI, Mr. Aiyar said the Congress' decision to jump ship immediately after an election fought with the DMK to plunge into a relationship with the very TVK that took "us on in the 23 assembly segments we lost and the five we won only days ago", was "dreadful". "This is an unforgivable violation of Mahatma Gandhi's 1925 maxim, 'Swaraj should be a government based on morality'," Mr. Aiyar told PTI. In an article published in the Hindu Tamil on Friday (May 8, 2026), the veteran Congress leader asked whether Chankya has prevailed or Mahatma Gandhi in the Congress switching partners in Tamil Nadu. "The Congress won five seats, not because of itself but entirely on the strength of its decades-old junior partnership with the DMK. Indeed, my former parliamentary constituency of Mayiladuturai proved to be such a stronghold of the DMK-led alliance, that five out of its six Assembly segments voted against Vijay's TVK in favour of a galaxy of the members of the alliance with two seats going to the DMK and one each to alliance partners DMDK, IUML and the Congress," Mr. Aiyar said in his Tamil piece. Thus, the mandate ran clearly in favour of the DMK-led alliance and against the newcomer, he pointed out. "It is in the context of my association with this maverick parliamentary constituency over the past 35 years that I write this piece with immense regret and sorrow," Mr. Aiyar said. While noting that the state-wide mandate was against the older Dravidian parties and in favour of C Joseph Vijay's TVK and that Mr. Vijay is totally secular and belongs to the broader Dravidian consensus, Mr. Aiyar said yet, to summarily ditch an old and tried partner "smacks of low political opportunism". "But opportunism is the essence of Chanakyan politics. It was not the politics of truth of the Congress of Gandhi. I cannot imagine the fathers of the Indian National Congress blessing such a politics of expediency," he said. What is more, the ever-realistic Jawaharlal Nehru would also have doubted whether it makes political sense to abandon a tried and tested ally — an ally who has stayed with us through decades of turbulence — for a partner the Congress spurned till the 4th of May, he said. Is this ethical or is it even politically wise, Mr. Aiyar asked. "Struggling with these considerations, I must confess to deep unease with our switching horses after the race has been run. In switching, we have shown ourselves to be driven less by good behaviour, self-restraint and self-sacrifice, as taught by the Mahatma, and more in favour of immediate reward even if the future of such avaricious politics is uncertain," he said. How can the Congress justify letting down a partner who, alone in the INDIA bloc, proclaimed 'brother' Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister, Mr. Aiyar argued. "Moreover, why abandon a partner as he is drowning to reach the shore in company with the person responsible for the drowning. Do we sell our honour for 'a handful of silver' (an expression the Christian in Vijay will understand) and for 'a ribbon to wear on our breast - a ministry or two?" Mr. Aiyar said in his article. Even on the most pragmatic grounds, is the Congress joining a ship on an even keel or as a rat joining a sinking ship, he asked. "For me, the morals and politics of our present dilemma converge. Morality demands staying with the DMK, which has stood by us even in our depths. Politics demands we do not surrender to temptation but weigh the long-term consequences of joining an unknown ent

Smacks of low political opportunism: Mani Shankar Aiyar slams Congress’ TVK tie-up decision

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Smacks of low political opportunism: Mani Shankar Aiyar slams Congress’ TVK tie-up decision

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