Chennai: As we welcome another year, it is bound to give rise to new hopes and aspirations for everyone, including all political parties.
With elections due in four states in the first half of 2026, including three where BJP is not in power, 2026 will be an important year for Indian politics. The saffron party and its NDA alliances will be keen to win elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, while in Assam, the fight will be to retain power.
Congress, the main national opposition party, will be desperate to boost their flagging fortunes. However, the grand old party has been facing discontent within itself over leadership issues.
In the latest setback, a Congress MP from one of the poll-bound states Tamil Nadu launched a scathing tirade against a faction of the party.
Without taking names, Karur Lok Sabha MP S. Jothimani said a faction is “lying in wait, ready to exploit any opportunity to incite public sentiments, seize power, and bury the social justice, and development policies of this land.”
She said there were “unchecked internal conflicts” in the party.
“W
ithout steadfastly advancing principled politics… speaking about people’s issues… and merely engaging in petty factional squabbles, Tamil Nadu Congress is heading down the path of destruction for the selfish gains of a few,” Jothimani said.
“The events unfolding in the Tamil Nadu Congress are a source of profound concern. Efforts to dilute policy stances and political actions are causing immense pain. Day after day the Tamil Nadu Congress finds itself in the news for all the wrong reasons,” the Karur MP claimed.
“Everyone must remember the identity and respect the Congress holds in Tamil Nadu stem from the love and reverence of the Tamil people for the legacy safeguarded by Perunthalaivar Kamarajar and the sacrifices of the Nehru-Gandhi family,” Jothimani said.
She warned that the party’s state unit is “veering onto a path directly opposed to Rahul Gandhi’s selfless, policy-driven, fearless politics… We can’t betray his tireless hard work and unparalleled sacrifices.”
Jothimani’s tirade came after Praveen Chakravarthy, the party’s data wing chief, compared Tamil Nadu’s debt levels to that of BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.
DMK MP Kanimozhi had earlier praised her party for having “transformed Tamil Nadu into an advanced (and) developed state.”
The DMK and Congress have been allies in Tamil Nadu for several years. That relationship seems to be under pressure now, with Congress trying to negotiate a greater number of seats to contest in the 2026 polls.