DMK playing cheap politics after poll defeat: TN Congress leader Ruby Manoharan

Chennai, Aug 30 (AHN) Tamil Nadu Congress Committee treasurer Ruby R. Manoharan has strongly criticised the DMK and questioned its authority to make disparaging remarks about Sathyamurthy Bhavan (Congress headquarters) or demand that it be renamed.

In a statement, Manoharan accused the DMK and its spokespersons of launching politically motivated attacks after being unable to accept the people’s verdict in the 2026 Assembly election. He asked DMK leader E. Paranthaman to examine the previous government’s policy documents and verify the facts before making allegations against the Congress.

Manoharan claimed that the official policy documents presented by then minister R.S. Rajakannappan during the DMK government in 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 did not mention the names of Jawaharlal Nehru or B.R. Ambedkar. He questioned whether Paranthaman, who was a legislator during that period, had raised any objection when the documents were tabled in the Assembly.

The Congress leader also asked why the DMK’s commitment to social justice was not demonstrated when the names of Nehru and Ambedkar were allegedly omitted from official policy statements. Accusing the DMK of hypocrisy, Manoharan alleged that the names were suddenly added through then minister Siva V. Meyyanathan shortly before the 2026 election for political advantage and to satisfy alliance compulsions.

He said the public was aware of what he described as the DMK’s deceptive political tactics. Manoharan also alleged that Paranthaman’s criticism stemmed either from disappointment over not securing an Assembly seat in the election or from an attempt to improve his chances of receiving a party ticket in the future.

Turning to the controversy over Sathyamurthy Bhavan, Manoharan asked what right the DMK had to criticise the Congress headquarters or suggest changing its name. He said the DMK should first explain whether it intended to rename its own headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, after having allegedly failed to acknowledge Nehru and Ambedkar in earlier policy documents.

The Congress leader said the DMK was trying to divert attention from its electoral defeat by accusing other parties and concealing what he called its own double standards. He warned that the party’s “cheap political drama” and attempts to distort the history of social justice would no longer be tolerated.