Karur (Tamil Nadu), Jun 17 (PTI) Slamming DMK’s Tamil mouthpiece ‘Murasoli’ for targeting senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Karur MP Jothimani on Wednesday said her party’s silence must not be mistaken for weakness.
Speaking to reporters, Jothimani said the strong attack on Rahul by the DMK’s daily was not acceptable.
She said her party could give a fitting reply, but was holding back in view of its long-standing ties with the DMK through thick and thin.
At a time when the DMK had lost polls and most of its allies, “we feel that they are angered and it is natural,” she said.
But criticism of Rahul was not acceptable under any circumstances, and the DMK must not push Congress to a corner, prompting it to retaliate in kind, she said.
“Murasoli must stop the attack on Rahul Gandhi,” she said, terming it a “hit below the belt.” She expressed confidence that DMK chief M K Stalin would rein in ‘Murasoli’.
It was only Rahul Gandhi who was fighting in a steadfast manner against Prime Minister Modi without making any compromises, she said.
She said the INDIA bloc was not an initiative to protect Congress’s interests, and parties, including the DMK, must understand this.
On June 15, DMK’s official organ ‘Murasoli’ had asked whether it was not shameful for Congress to employ underhand tactics to prevent INDIA bloc parties from coming to power in states where assembly elections were held, only to seek their support when the Lok Sabha polls were round the corner.
The DMK’s Tamil daily strongly criticised Congress, alleging it had been backstabbed by the party with Rahul Gandhi’s blessings in the Tamil Nadu assembly bypolls on April 23, and mocked him for lecturing on unity at a recent INDIA bloc meeting.
In an editorial, ‘Murasoli’ said Rahul Gandhi had lectured on unity at the INDIA bloc meeting on June 8 and termed it a case of “belated enlightenment”.
“Isn’t Rahul himself the one who ruined this unity in every single state?” the daily had asked. PTI VGN SSK
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