The Congress’s decision to end its decades-long alliance with the DMK and partner with Vijay’s Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form a new government in Tamil Nadu has caused divisions within the INDIA bloc, with its constituents split over whether the move is “strategic pragmatism” or “political backstabbing”. While some leaders of the Opposition grouping defended the Congress’s decision as necessary to keep the BJP and NDA out of power in the state, others echoed the DMK’s charge of “backstabbing”. The development has also raised questions about the cohesion of the INDIA alliance and its functioning in Parliament, where the DMK has 22 Lok Sabha and eight Rajya Sabha MPs. Sources within the Congress indicated that the move was not universally supported even within the party. Several Congress leaders are learnt to have opposed the party’s bid to break ties with the DMK, warning that the decision could have long-term consequences. “Some people in the Tamil Nadu party unit have misguided the leadership.…