Sivaganga (Tamil Nadu), Jun 11 (PTI) Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday appealed to critics and the media to give the newly formed TVK government adequate time to settle in, pointing out the immense logistical and administrative challenges faced by the fresh administration.
Addressing reporters here, Chidambaram said, “They have just come to power. Out of them, 31 ministers have no prior experience inside the Assembly. 101 MLAs have entered the Legislative Assembly for the very first time. We must give them time, shouldn’t we? Time must be given to any new government.” He emphasised that a grace period of three to six months is essential for the cabinet to grasp the intricacies of their respective portfolios.
Defending the Congress party’s decision to back Chief Minister Vijay’s administration, the former Union Minister stressed that the government’s core ideological stance aligns perfectly with his party’s principles.
“They say they will protect state rights. Aren’t these two aspects enough to support the TVK government? These two reasons are plenty: secularism and state rights. As long as they do not deviate from these fundamental ideologies, what is wrong with supporting them?” Chidambaram reasoned.
He explained that other major allies, including the CPI, CPI(M), VCK, and IUML, also extended support to guarantee stability and prevent political deadlock. Withholding this support, he warned, would have triggered a fresh election or led to President’s Rule, which he described as a “backdoor entry” for the BJP government — an outcome the Congress party refused to accept.
The veteran leader described TVK’s electoral victory as a “historic feat” that took the media, pollsters, and political parties by surprise.
“Launched just two years ago, TVK captured a staggering 35 per cent of the vote share in Tamil Nadu.
The mandate significantly outpaced the combined vote shares of the DMK-led alliance, which hovered around 24 per cent. The victory was anchored by an overwhelming turnout from youth and young women, with nearly every household contributing at least one vote to the party,” said Chidambaram.
Chidambaram urged the administration to prioritise the youth by designing targeted education, employment, and entrepreneurship initiatives to honour their trust.
Chidambaram also utilised the briefing to criticise the press for a lack of historical context when reporting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure records.
While acknowledging that completing 4,399 days in office across 12 years is a major achievement, he pointed out that media outlets failed to add a vital footnote regarding India’s first Prime Minister.
“They completely forgot that Jawaharlal Nehru served as Prime Minister for five years from 1947 to 1952, and subsequently recorded another 4,398 days in office between 1952 and 1964. The BJP can celebrate their leader, but the media should not erase history,” he remarked.
Earlier, Chidambaram expressed his profound grief over the passing of legendary filmmaker Bharathiraja, hailing him as ‘Iyakkunar Imayam’.
Offering his deep condolences to the bereaved family and the film fraternity, Chidambaram noted that local Congress party cadres from the Theni district would attend the funeral to pay their final respects, as the director is being laid to rest with full state honours. PTI JR JR ROH
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