Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the Indian National Congress for ending its long-time alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu [1].

The rift highlights growing instability among opposition coalitions as parties pivot toward new power centers following a hung assembly in the state [2].

Yadav reacted after the Tamil Nadu assembly election resulted in a hung verdict, where no single party secured a majority [2]. He targeted the Congress party for its decision to dump the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in favor of Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) [3]. According to reports, TVK has emerged as the single largest party in the assembly [3].

To signal his defiance and support for the DMK, Yadav posted photographs featuring himself with M.K. Stalin and Mamata Banerjee [1]. The images served as a visual endorsement of his solidarity with the regional leaders during the political deadlock.

"We are not the ones who abandon each other in times of difficulty," Yadav said [1].

The tension between the Samajwadi Party and Congress has extended beyond this specific regional dispute. In a separate exchange, Smriti Irani responded to a jibe from Yadav regarding family dynamics by telling him to shift his focus away from TV serials and direct it toward Parliament [4].

Yadav's public condemnation of the Congress party suggests a deepening fracture in the broader opposition strategy. By aligning himself with Stalin and Banerjee, Yadav is positioning the Samajwadi Party as a more reliable partner than the Congress party in the volatile landscape of Indian coalition politics [1, 3].

“"We are not the ones who abandon each other in times of difficulty."”

The friction between the Samajwadi Party and Congress over the Tamil Nadu results indicates a shift in the opposition's internal power dynamics. By publicly siding with the DMK and TVK's rise, Yadav is challenging the Congress party's role as the primary coordinator of opposition alliances, suggesting that regional loyalty may now supersede traditional national party ties in the pursuit of governance.