The DMK has thrown its weight behind the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protests against the SIR and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, even as it distances itself from the Congress, which has been spearheading the political campaign against the poll body. At a meeting of party MPs in Chennai, chaired by DMK president and former chief minister MK Stalin, the leadership directed leaders to intensify opposition to the SIR and support the CJP agitation, sources told NDTV. Stalin, however, made clear the Dravidian party will not work with the “backstabber” Congress.
The meeting, called to discuss the SIR issue, also resolved to demand the scrapping of the exercise and a return to the ballot paper system, according to sources. It further decided to work closely with the CJP, accusing the Congress of “doublespeak” on the matter.
Stalin has been increasingly vocal about the crackdown on protesters. On Thursday, he criticised the detention of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke ahead of the Tiranga march, posting on X: “Where is @abhijeet_dipke? Where is @neha_aisa? Detaining them without disclosing their whereabouts is blatantly illegal and deeply inhumane.” He added that the Union Government must release them immediately and stop suppressing peaceful protests, ending his post with the hashtag #GyaneshKumarMustGo and stating, “The Union BJP Government has no other option.”
Earlier, he had lashed out at the detention of CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das over a flash protest at Jantar Mantar. “How many protestors can this government detain? How many young voices can the BJP silence?” he asked, while promising the DMK would provide legal assistance to the CJP in its struggle.
NDTV has learnt that the DMK has spent recent days exploring a third front and has approached the CJP and some regional leaders. Since its split with the Congress in Tamil Nadu, the party has kept its distance from the INDIA bloc, and reports suggest Stalin may meet Dipke in the coming days, fuelling further speculation around the bid. If successful, the move could deepen divisions within the INDIA bloc and reshape opposition alignments ahead of the next round of Assembly elections.
The DMK is also targeting the ruling TVK of Vijay, accusing it of winning because of the SIR. The TVK, which has joined the anti-SIR protest, has in turn blamed the DMK for “enabling the SIR” in Tamil Nadu and termed Stalin the “main culprit.”
The party’s manoeuvring comes amid speculation about a special session of Parliament later this month to push the delimitation and women’s reservation bills, which failed in the House earlier this year. Stalin told his MPs the party will deal with the delimitation issue when it comes up in Parliament.
While the DMK has been one of the fiercest critics of delimitation, sources told NDTV the BJP has opened channels with the party, which has 22 MPs, since its break-up with the Congress. Government sources said they hope to secure the DMK’s support, especially after an assurance of a 50% across-the-board seat increase.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/key-dmk-meet-today-amid-mk-stalins-sir-third-front-moves-delimitation-buzz-12198107#publisher=newsstand
Category:
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-10-17 13:19:00
