DMK to Skip INDIA Bloc Meeting Amidst Shifting Alliances in Tamil Nadu

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is unlikely to participate in the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi on June 8, sources said on Thursday.

The party has said it would not take part in the meeting to be attended by around 15 opposition parties, including the main opposition Congress, according to the sources.

Senior leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc are scheduled come together and discuss their joint strategy to take on the BJP-led government and reinforce opposition unity.

TMC supremo and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge are among those likely to attend the meeting, as per the sources.

The development follows a dramatic shift in Tamil Nadu's political landscape after the Assembly elections, when the Congress parted ways with its long-time ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and backed the government led by actor-politician C Joseph Vijay and his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

The realignment brought an end to years of Congress-DMK collaboration and led to an exchange of barbs between the two parties.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has already publicly distanced itself from the bloc and is not likely to attend the meeting, scheduled to take place at the Constitution Club.