The Congress on Tuesday demanded that its former alliance partner, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), introspect and identify the true reasons for its electoral defeat instead of criticising it, the party’s legislators in the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) cabinet said.Introspect poll defeat instead of criticising us: CongressThe comments from the two Congress leaders assume significance following an article in the DMK’s party organ, Murasoli, which ridiculed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday. The article asked whether it was not shameful for him to pull off all kinds of “underhand tactics” to prevent INDIA bloc parties from coming to power in states where assembly elections are held, and later seek their support when Lok Sabha polls are around the corner.The article strongly criticised the Congress, alleging that the party had “backstabbed” the DMK with the blessings of its top leader Rahul Gandhi during the April 23 Tamil Nadu assembly polls, and mocked him for “lecturing unity” at the recent INDIA bloc meeting.In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, Congress’s Killiyoor MLA and tourism minister S Rajesh Kumar and higher education minister P Viswanathan, MLA from Melur, said the TVK had formed the government with the Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), all of which had contested under the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance.“This demonstrates the firm stance of the chief minister C Joseph Vijay on principles such as democracy, social justice, secularism, state rights,” they said in the statement.Maintaining that it was the duty of the Congress to stand by the TVK, which remains firm on its secular ideology, the two ministers said: “DMK members are crossing all boundaries and hurling abuses at the Congress party and its leaders. DMK members are criticising us with harsh words, claiming that Congress won only because of the hard work of DMK cadres, yet has now supported TVK to form the government.“To whatever extent it is true that Congress won with the courtesy of the DMK, it is equally true that the DMK won with the courtesy of the Congress,” they said.The two ministers recalled that the DMK, which has not been able to win a single election without an alliance, has never once shared governance or power with its alliance parties.“In 2006, the DMK did not even touch the 100-seat mark. It formed the government solely with the courtesy of the Congress. Yet, the DMK did not have the heart to accommodate the Congress in the cabinet,” they said.Maintaining that the TVK, which has now won 108 seats, had given two ministerial portfolios to the Congress, which has five MLAs, the two leaders said the Congress had given one ministerial portfolio each to the VCK and the IUML, which have two lawmakers each.“Had both communist parties wished to join the cabinet, they too would have received one ministerial portfolio each. Sharing a part in governance and power with the parties that helped form the government is true federalism. This is exactly what the chief minister C Joseph Vijay has demonstrated through his actions,” they said.Noting that the Congress, while remaining firm on its secular principles, had extended support to the TVK to form the government, they said it was to prevent the BJP from attempting to rule Tamil Nadu through indirect means.“For this action, the DMK has been criticising the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi,” they said.“Instead of obsessing over how to criticise the Congress party, the DMK must completely introspect and identify the true reasons for its electoral defeat. First, find out why the minority communities and the Scheduled Caste (Dalit) communities did not vote for the DMK. Instead of doing that, if you keep blaming alliance parties and making vulgar criticisms, a situation will arise where the DMK can never return to power,” they said.The DMK must accept the verdict of the people and continue its work as a proper responsible party. “Otherwise, in the future they will lose even their opposition status. Those who forget their ground reality in politics and dance with arrogance can never escape the punishment meted out by the people,” the two ministers warned in the statement.Responding to the remarks, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai said: “It is cynical and fascial for the Congress party to lecture us on how to do the duty of an opposition party which we have been doing so well for the last 12 years at the national level.”“If not for the strident opposition of the DMK party, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would not have become the leader of the Opposition. He lost it in 2014 elections. He got it in 2019 elections because of the alliance with DMK party,” he said.Urging them not to forget that, Saravanan termed the Congress leaders “a bunch of backstabbers” and said they had no moral right to question the DMK.“Let them not speak about weakening the opposition’s unity, which has been the sole trait of Rahul Gandhi,” he said.