Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar on Thursday, 9 April 2026, released the election manifesto of the Secular Progressive Alliance and launched a sharp attack on Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay, calling him an “immature politician,” while expressing confidence that the alliance would secure a two-thirds majority in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Addressing reporters, Shivakumar said, “Mr. Vijay is an immature politician. He doesn’t know maturity. I think he might have that TMC with him, that’s all. Indian National Congress is not with him. He might have TMC with him. The Indian National Congress is with DMK.”
His remarks came in response to Vijay’s statement a day earlier suggesting that the DMK may have “bought” the Congress, while claiming that the “real Congress” was backing TVK.
Clarifying his position, Shivakumar reiterated, “I think he might have meant TMC (Tamil Maanila Congress) is with him, that’s all. The Indian National Congress is not with him. The Indian National Congress is with DMK.”
He further underlined that the Indian National Congress remains aligned with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu.
Projecting Karnataka as a model of governance under the Congress, Shivakumar stated that the party had fulfilled all its electoral promises within months of assuming office, despite what he described as obstacles from the Union government.
“In the next five years, we are going to serve people across the country,” he said, appealing to voters in Tamil Nadu to give the alliance another opportunity, as reported in The New Indian Express.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram outlined a key welfare proposal in the manifesto, stating, “We have proposed Rs 2,000 for all households as a universal basic income, which will boost the local economy and is widely acknowledged worldwide. Once the new government is formed, this scheme will be implemented.”
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