M A I N   N E W S

Parting third time in 4 decades
Tribune News Service

Chennai, March 5
This is the third time, the DMK is parting ways with the Congress, against which the party was founded by CN Annadurai and his colleagues in 1949. It was DMK chief Karunanidhi, who deviated from the firm anti-Congress line pursued by its founders and formed an alliance with the Congress, led by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1971, against the wishes of the parent organisation the Dravidar Kazhagam.

The alliance between the two parties came to an end during the Emergency.

The Indira Gandhi government dismissed the DMK government on charges of corruption in 1976.

Indira Gandhi, met with violent protests by the DMK cadres, when she visited Tamil Nadu after losing power. However, Karunanidhi with the new slogan "Forgive and forget", formed an alliance with the Congress again in 1980.

There was bitterness during the seat-sharing talks and it was finally agreed that the two parties would contest almost an equal number of seats and whoever wins more seats will get the chief ministership. The alliance was defeated in the Assembly elections due to infighting and mutual distrust.

The DMK snapped ties with the Congress, after its government in Puducherry was pulled down by the Congress in 1983.

After nearly two decades, the DMK joined hands with Congress for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

The alliance continued in the 2006 Assembly polls and the 2009 Parliament elections, despite the pressure exerted by Tamil nationalist outfits, who alleged that the Congress government had a role in the Sri Lankan government's military offensive against the LTTE. With 18 MPs in the Lok Sabha, it is the third largest constituent of UPA after Congress and Trinamool Congress.