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The political fallout between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Congress escalated on Sunday, August 2, with the former allies engaging in a bitter war of words over the proposed delimitation exercise, while simultaneously targeting each other over the Cauvery-Mekedatu dispute. The exchange came a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi remarked during his Tamil Nadu visit that any party supporting the proposed constitutional amendment on Lok Sabha expansion and delimitation would be a "21st century Ettappan" and would be betraying Tamil Nadu. Ettappan refers to Ettappan Nayak, the ruler of Ettayapuram, who is widely remembered in Tamil popular history as a symbol of treachery for allegedly betraying freedom fighter Veerapandiya Kattabomman to the British.
Hitting back, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran accused Rahul Gandhi of remaining silent on key issues concerning the state. Maran said, "Those who come to Tamil Nadu and stay silent about Cauvery rights are traitors. Those who only talk about irregularities in the exam, rather than insisting on completely abolishing NEET are traitors. Those who condemn the BJP's horse-trading but ignore TVK's disgusting horse-trading are merely continuing that betrayal."
Maran also accused the Congress of abandoning the DMK after the Assembly elections, saying, "These are the people who traded our trust in them for mere ministerial berths," while referring to Congress leaders as "poisonous snakes" who sold trust to secure power.
Meanwhile, DMK leader and former Assembly Speaker M Appavu offered a different interpretation of Rahul Gandhi's "Ettappan" remark. Appavu suggested that Rahul's comments were aimed at Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay rather than the DMK.
Appavu questioned whether Rahul had indirectly criticised the Chief Minister for leading what he described as a government functioning with "BJP-RSS ideology" despite receiving Congress support. Appavu also alleged that the TVK-led government lacked cohesion and accused it of filing false cases against DMK members to divert attention from allegations involving ministers and party functionaries.
While the Union government has not formally revived the legislation, the DMK has indicated it would study the Bill before taking a position, while insisting that the interests of southern states should not be adversely affected.
The political confrontation also spilled over into the Cauvery water dispute.
Tamil Nadu Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar accused Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar of acting at the behest of the DMK leadership rather than the Congress high command. Nirmal Kumar said, "DK Shivakumar does not listen even to the Congress leadership. He listens only to MK Stalin. If Stalin tells him, he will listen. If this family tells him, he will listen."
