The simmering tensions between the ruling DMK and its alliance partner Congress have sharpened further in the backdrop of Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin’s categorical rejection of power-sharing arrangements ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Stalin had recently stated that a power-sharing formula with the Congress would not be “suitable” for Tamil Nadu’s political and administrative framework, effectively shutting the door on the Congress party’s long-standing demand for a share in governance should the alliance return to power.
Following this, Congress leaders have stepped up pressure on the DMK leadership, publicly reiterating demands for both ministerial participation in a future government and an increase in seat allocation for the Assembly polls.
Senior Congress figures, including Manickam Tagore and Praveen Chakravarty, have voiced strong responses in recent days. Their remarks come amid continued criticism and political jibes directed at the Congress by certain DMK functionaries. Leaders such as DMK MLA Ko Thalapathy and minister Raja Kannappan have, on multiple occasions, made dismissive or mocking comments about the Congress party’s electoral strength and bargaining position within the alliance.
Adding a fresh political layer to the ongoing friction, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva on 16 February 2026, shared a social media post recalling his arrest during the Emergency period. He noted that on 16 February 1976, exactly fifty years ago, he had been detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) while he was pursuing his final year MA.
While the post was framed as a personal remembrance of the Emergency era, political observers view its timing as significant, given the Congress party’s historical association with the Emergency imposed between 1975 and 1977.
— Tiruchi Siva (@tiruchisiva) February 16, 2026
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