Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday appeared to take a veiled swipe at Congress after the party decided to back Vijay-led TVK in Tamil Nadu, effectively distancing itself from long-time ally DMK amid the ongoing government formation deadlock in the state.
In a cryptic social media post, Akhilesh shared photographs of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and DMK leader MK Stalin, accompanied by a message stressing that allies should not leave one another during difficult political times. The remarks have triggered fresh speculation about growing unease within the opposition INDIA bloc.
“We are not the ones who abandon each other in times of difficulty,” he wrote on X.
The development comes days after Congress extended conditional support to actor-politician Vijay and his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Tamil Nadu following the fractured Assembly verdict. Congress’s move marked a significant break from its decade-long alliance with the DMK and has fuelled questions over the cohesion of the INDIA alliance.
हम वो नहीं जो मुश्किलों में साथ छोड़ दें। pic.twitter.com/p1EosEJtvV
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) May 8, 2026
Tamil Nadu politics has remained fluid since the election produced a hung Assembly. TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, but remained short of the majority mark in the 234-member House. Congress’s support took the combine closer to power, while reports of possible post-poll manoeuvring involving DMK and AIADMK have intensified political uncertainty in the state.
Akhilesh’s remarks are being seen as an indirect criticism of Congress’s sudden shift in Tamil Nadu. While he did not name the Congress party directly, political observers interpreted the post as a message against abandoning alliance partners after electoral setbacks.
The Congress decision has also triggered criticism from within the party. Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar reportedly described the alliance switch as a political mistake, highlighting the discomfort the move has caused among sections of the opposition camp.
