Chennai: Congress MP Karti Chidambaram expressed concern on Saturday about the party’s current state in Tamil Nadu, emphasizing the need for corrective measures to address people’s issues and maintain political relevance. He pointed out that the party’s visibility has significantly diminished in the state and stressed the importance of actively engaging with pressing issues to regain influence and overcome the identity crisis.

Karti, representing Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga constituency, noted that while other partners in the DMK-led alliance assert their identity by speaking up, Congress remains hesitant to do the same. Although he praised the DMK government’s policies, he emphasized that many issues affecting the populace need attention. He argued that Congress should vocally condemn and question issues such as quotation killings, police encounters, and electricity tariff hikes in Tamil Nadu, as other alliance partners like the VCK and CPI(M) are doing. “Only if we raise such issues will people turn back and look at us,” Karti asserted.

Highlighting the alleged police inaction in the murder of Congress Tirunelveli East district president Jayakumar Dhanasingh, Karti questioned why the party is not demanding accountability for the lack of arrests. He further emphasized that Congress is neither in power nor in opposition in Tamil Nadu, contributing to its lack of visibility.

“Yes, a lot of us won elections because of the DMK-led alliance. But some are trying to project as though Congress doesn’t have any value or role just because we are in an alliance and we are winning because of the alliance. This I cannot accept. While I agree that we may not have a huge vote share in Tamil Nadu, minorities voted for us because they wanted the Congress government to come to power,” he added.

Chidambaram concluded by stating that Congress adds value to the alliance and that minorities in Tamil Nadu trust an alliance only when Congress is part of it. “Those who want to reject BJP in TN and at the centre, they look at which side Congress is and vote accordingly,” he said.

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