"Betrayal and Congress go hand in hand": BJP's Vinoj Selvam on DMK to skip INDIA bloc meeting

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 5 (ANI): Reacting to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) boycotting the upcoming INDIA bloc meeting, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vinoj P Selvam launched a sharp attack on both Congress and the DMK, accusing them of "betrayal" and opportunism in Indian politics."The Congress party in the political spectrum of India has always been a party of betrayal. Betrayal and Congress go hand in hand. The DMK also has its share of betraying the people of Tamil Nadu in the past. In fact, both these parties have been partners in witnessing the genocide of Tamils, which happened in the island nation of Sri Lanka. But even that could not separate these two political families," Selvam told ANI on Thursday.Targeting Congress further, the BJP leader said the party lacked ideological commitment and was driven by political convenience. "Today, Congress is just a party of people who are very opportunistic, trying to grab power and trying to be in a place where they see fit to be a part of the ruling dispensation. They have absolutely no commitments towards the nation's interest, nor are they bothered about the welfare of the country as a whole," he said.The remarks come amid heightened tensions within the opposition alliance, after the DMK announced that it would not participate in the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled for June 8 in New Delhi.DMK leader TKS Elangovan on Thursday said the party was "deeply hurt" by the Congress' post-poll conduct in Tamil Nadu and asserted that the party was no longer part of the INDIA bloc."We are no more in the INDIA bloc, and that is why we are not attending the meeting," Elangovan said.Explaining the rift, he added that the Indian National Congress had indicated a shift in alliances after the Tamil Nadu assembly elections. "Congress stated that they are going with TVK and that they will fight the local body elections and the next parliamentary elections also with TVK. This means they are not with us," he said.He further claimed that the Congress had distanced itself despite being part of the DMK-led alliance in the polls. "We had given them a Rajya Sabha seat. After that, these MLAs did not even come and thank our leader," Elangovan said."They said that we are going with TVK and said that we are no longer in the alliance with the DMK. Then it will definitely hurt the cadre. They have also worked for them," he added.Meanwhile, DMK earlier stated that it will not participate in the meeting of the opposition meeting, particularly as it is a meeting "in which the Congress party will be taking part".DMK, which has been a strong pillar of the INDIA Bloc, said its workers are deeply hurt by the "betrayal of Congress". (ANI)