DMK flays Cong for walking away

Chennai: DMK leaders flayed Congress for walking out of the alliance to support TVK, while functionaries of the national party called for restraint while criticising them. DMK treasurer T R Baalu accused Congress of "betraying" the mandate of voters and abandoning a long-standing alliance during a politically difficult phase.In a statement, Baalu recalled DMK's support to Congress during periods of crisis and said DMK stood firmly with Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh and Congress leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Baalu accused Congress of attempting to justify "opportunism" in the name of political strategy after five MLAs elected under the secular progressive alliance switched sides. DMK organisational secretary R S Bharathi said Congress going out of the alliance is a good riddance for DMK and it is ungrateful on the part of Congress to sever ties. DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai was harsher in his criticism, alleging that the party had ‘backstabbed' DMK. He asked Congress to resign the Rajya Sabha seat that it won with support from DMK MLAs.However, Congress MPs S Jothimani and Sasikanth Senthil asked functionaries of both the parties to refrain from making harsh comments. "We should part ways with mutual respect and both sides should avoid controversial remarks," Jothimani said.tnn