“Congress stabbed DMK in the back”: PM Modi attacks Congress, congratulates Vijay

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Congress over its political realignment in Tamil Nadu, accusing the party of betraying its long-time ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), after actor-politician C Joseph Vijay took oath as the new Chief Minister of the state. Addressing an event in Bengaluru, Modi said the Congress had abandoned the DMK despite benefiting from the alliance for decades.

Referring to the Congress-DMK relationship, Modi said the alliance had repeatedly helped Congress survive political crises and had played a major role in sustaining the Congress-led government at the Centre before 2014. He alleged that the Congress distanced itself from the DMK immediately after political equations changed in Tamil Nadu. Modi described the Congress as “power-hungry” and accused the party of relying on regional parties to maintain political relevance.

The Prime Minister’s remarks came shortly after Vijay, founder of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at a ceremony held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. Governor Rajendra Arlekar administered the oath of office in the presence of political leaders, film personalities, and thousands of supporters. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attended the ceremony along with Vijay’s parents and several public figures.

Despite criticising the Congress, Modi extended his wishes to Vijay through a message on X. Congratulating the new Chief Minister, he stated that the Central Government would continue working with the Tamil Nadu government to improve the lives of the people. Vijay was sworn in along with nine ministers in the first TVK cabinet, including N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, KA Sengottaiyan, KG Arunraj, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, TK Prabhu, and S Keerthana.

The 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections produced a major political shift, with TVK winning 108 seats in its first electoral contest and ending the long-standing dominance of the DMK and the AIADMK in state politics. Although TVK fell short of the majority mark on its own, the party secured support from Congress, CPI, CPM, VCK, and IUML, enabling Vijay to form the government. Vijay won from both Perambur and Trichy East constituencies and is expected to vacate one of the seats.

Popularly known as “Thalapathy,” Vijay’s rise from cinema to politics has drawn comparisons with earlier actor-politicians in Tamil Nadu. Political observers have noted that he became the first leader outside the DMK-AIADMK political formations to head the Tamil Nadu government since 1967. TVK was formally launched in 2024, although Vijay had spent years building a political image through social campaigns and films focused on corruption, drug abuse, and social issues.