“Not ones who abandon”: Akhilesh Yadav takes veiled dig at Congress with pics of Mamata, Stalin

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav appeared to take a veiled swipe at the Congress after the party ended its alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu and extended support to actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). In a post on social media, Akhilesh shared photographs with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and DMK leader M. K. Stalin and wrote, “We are not the ones who abandon each other in times of difficulty.”

The post came amid political turbulence in Tamil Nadu following a hung Assembly verdict. The TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly. Congress, which secured five seats, later extended support to the TVK in its bid to form the government, altering the political equations in the state and effectively ending its alliance with the DMK.

Following the Congress decision, the DMK strongly criticised its former ally and declared that the INDIA bloc had effectively collapsed. During a meeting of DMK legislators, the party passed resolutions condemning Congress for backing the TVK. The Congress’s support increased the TVK-led alliance tally to 112 seats, still short of the majority mark of 118 required to form the government.

Akhilesh Yadav’s remarks also came shortly after his meeting with Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata following the Assembly election results in West Bengal. Political discussions intensified after the Congress move in Tamil Nadu, with several opposition parties closely watching the changing alliance dynamics within the INDIA bloc.

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar reportedly declined Vijay’s initial claim to form the government and asked him to return after securing the support of at least 118 MLAs. Meanwhile, BJP leaders also reacted to the developments, alleging that internal divisions and shifting political alliances were weakening opposition unity at the national level.