CHENNAI: Former chief minister M K Stalin on Friday extended birthday greetings to Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Rahul Gandhi. Thanking him, Gandhi expressed his resolve to continue their joint fight for federalism, the Constitution, and the idea of India. The exchange comes against the backdrop of the long-term allies trading barbs over recent post-assembly poll developments. While DMK called Congress as “backstabbers” for joining TVK, Congress criticised the former for reportedly not respecting their ambition and treating them well. “Our shared resolve to defend the idea of India, our Constitution, and federalism will continue to guide us. This is the fight for the very soul of our democracy, and we will wage it together until we win,” Rahul said in his reply to Stalin’s brief social media post wishing him good health and happiness.Recently, Gandhi released an audio clip of his speech from an INDIA bloc meeting, where he faced intense criticism for his treatment of alliance partners in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and a few other states. It resulted in the exit of DMK from the bloc. He had, however, vouched that the DMK would stand firm with the Congress to safeguard national interests and fight fascism.Following this, DMK mouthpiece Murasoli carried a hard-hitting editorial slamming Gandhi for undermining allies while seeking their support ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The editorial highlighted sharp criticism from INDIA bloc constituents, labelling Gandhi’s approach as “dishonest” and “immature”. Responding to the attack, Congress leaders S Rajeshkumar and Viswanathan issued a joint statement urging the DMK to refrain from criticizing their leader. They cautioned that the DMK could lose its position as the principal opposition in the Tamil Nadu assembly if it continued with such an approach.
