Horse trading at horse speed: DMK chief Stalin on AIADMK MLAs joining TVK

DMK president and former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday (May 25, 2026) described the resignation of three AIADMK MLAs and their immediate meeting with Minister Aadhav Arjuna at the Secretariat to join the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) as “horse trading at horse speed.”

“Those who proclaimed themselves as a clean force (the ruling TVK) have now been thoroughly exposed and have become a tragic force,” he said in a social media message.

He said the TVK, “in the first scene, sought the support of leaders of the DMK’s alliance partners and, in the second scene, bargained with a section of AIADMK MLAs and a lone MLA of the AMMK during the trust vote.”

“In the third scene, it has engineered the resignation of AIADMK MLAs and made them join the party in the Secretariat itself. Did people vote for you just to witness these unsavoury scenes?” he asked.

Mr. Stalin said the drama unfolding now had exposed the “fake anti-BJP stand” of the Congress, which had joined the TVK government after saying it would extend support only if the TVK refrained from seeking the support of the NDA.

‘Aya Ram Gaya Ram’ in Tamil Nadu politics: R.S. Bharathi

Meanwhile, DMK organisation secretary R.S. Bharathi said the resignations were a clear case of “Aya Ram Gaya Ram” (Ram has come, Ram has gone – a Hindi expression referring to turncoats).

“Horse trading in politics is unknown to Tamil Nadu. Now it has started here,” he alleged at a media conference at Anna Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters.

‘Will take action over misinformation in Sulur case’

Accusing the TVK of using social media platforms to link the DMK with the rape and murder of a minor girl in Sulur, Coimbatore, Mr. Bharathi said his party would take legal action against those indulging in false propaganda.

Mr. Bharathi alleged that a girl, by creating a fake ID, had linked Opposition leader Udhayanidhi Stalin and the DMK to the murder case. “A normal defamation case will attract a punishment of two years in jail. But using a fake ID and indulging in a false campaign will result in life imprisonment,” he said, and called upon parents to advise their children against such activities.

“Life imprisonment will destroy one’s life. Parents and relatives should guide their children properly,” he said.

Mr. Bharathi alleged that the State had witnessed a drastic increase in the crime rate ever since the TVK came to power and that the ruling party had resorted to false campaigns to divert people’s attention.

He also said Congress MP Manickam Tagore’s statements against the DMK showed how power-hungry the Congress had been over the last 59 years.

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss said, “Only 20 days have passed since the results of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections were announced. What was the need for all three MLAs to resign from their positions within such a short time? They did not sacrifice their posts for the Cauvery issue or to reclaim the rights of Tamil Nadu. Rather, their actions are driven by a desire to join the ruling party and enjoy the benefits of power.”

He further added, “Chief Minister Vijay, who came to power claiming that he would provide clean politics as an alternative to the Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu, is now being questioned by the people of Tamil Nadu as to how he is permitting all this. Without the Chief Minister’s approval, it would not have been possible for them to join the ruling party. The three individuals joining TVK are unlikely to have done so without expecting anything in return. They are joining only after considering factors such as the opportunity to contest in the by-elections that may be held in those constituencies and the advantages they would enjoy as members of the ruling party if they win. In what way can permitting this be called clean politics?”

Former VCK MLA from Thiruporur, S.S. Balaji, said the act of 3 MLAs was “unethical” and that “entertaining them would be dangerous”.

He further said, “This is a clear undoubted threat to the claim of TVK and Chief Minister Vijay that they would indulge in genuine and honest politics.”