‘Horse-trading Is horse-trading’: Congress MP rebukes own alliance over AIADMK defections

Congress MP S. Jothimani on Tuesday publicly criticised alleged political “horse-trading” in Tamil Nadu and cautioned that the Congress cannot adopt one position on defections in BJP-ruled states and another when it benefits an ally, in remarks that exposed unease within the party over recent political developments in the state.

The Karur MP's comments came a day after three AIADMK legislators resigned from the Assembly and joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), a move that sparked sharp criticism from both the AIADMK and the DMK, which described the development as political poaching.

In a strongly worded social media post, Jothimani said Congress, as an alliance partner of the ruling dispensation, would support Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay in delivering good governance but could not endorse every political decision taken by the government.

“Vijay has been elected by the people in anticipation of good governance and he appears determined to deliver it,” she said, while stressing that measures adopted by the ruling party should strengthen democratic institutions rather than weaken them.

‘Congress cannot justify horse-trading’

Taking an apparent swipe at the induction of opposition legislators into the ruling camp, Jothimani said Congress had historically opposed political defections and could not compromise on that principle.

“It would be wrong if anyone from the Congress justified horse-trading,” she said.

Describing defections as a tool used to destabilise elected governments, the MP alleged that the BJP had repeatedly employed such tactics in several states to weaken democratic mandates.

“The first weapon that the BJP used to weaken democracy was horse-trading,” she said, arguing that the Congress had consistently opposed such practices wherever they occurred.

She warned that the party risked undermining its own credibility if it adopted contradictory positions depending on political circumstances.

“Congress party can never take a dual stand of supporting horse-trading in Tamil Nadu and opposing it outside the state,” Jothimani said.

“If Congress performs as a force that weakens democracy, it will be a historic betrayal of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and the party's ideology,” she added.

Reference to Rahul Gandhi's stand

The Congress leader also invoked the position taken by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, describing his political approach as an “uncompromising struggle” based on principles and democratic values.

Her remarks are significant because they come from within a party that recently realigned itself politically in Tamil Nadu.

Congress had severed ties with the DMK-led alliance following the Assembly elections on 23 April and extended support to the newly formed TVK government. The party is currently part of the ruling coalition and holds two ministerial berths in the Vijay-led cabinet.

The resignation of the three AIADMK MLAs and their subsequent entry into the ruling party has intensified political debate in Tamil Nadu, with opposition parties accusing the government of engineering defections to expand its legislative strength.

While neither the TVK nor the state government has formally responded to Jothimani's criticism, her intervention highlights growing concerns within sections of the Congress over the political implications of the defections and the party's stance on them.