• Source:JND

As per a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) spokesperson, actor-politician Vijay managed to position himself for Tamil Nadu’s highest office after outgoing Chief Minister MK Stalin and DMK Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) convinced alliance partners to unite with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The swearing-in of the Vijay-led ministry will be held on Sunday at 10 am at Nehru Stadium in Chennai.

"Congratulations to the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Vijay. He is able to become the chief minister with the help of DMK allies. Our leader MK Stalin does not want a constitutional crisis and he persuaded allies (to join hands with the TVK) after extensive consultations," DMK spokesperson A Sarvanan said, as quoted by NDTV.

Targeting the Congress over the alliance drama with TVK, Sarvanan said that the former could manage five seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election only due to the efforts and dedication of the MK Stalin government in the state.

ALSO READ: Cinema To CM: How Vijay's Win Reinforces Tamil Nadu's Obsession With Actor-Politicians

Congress Made First Move

The Indian National Congress (INC) made the first major move on Wednesday by ditching a long-standing alliance with the DMK and extending the support of its five MLAs. However, the support came with conditions.

In a statement signed by AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, the party clarified, "Our support shall be conditional upon the TVK keeping out of this alliance any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India." The reference was to the BJP, a junior partner of the AIADMK, their NDA alliance having finished third.

Not just this, the Congress also announced state-wide protests against Governor Rajendra Arlekar. State Unit President K Selvaperunthagai said, "Governments are not decided on the lawns of Lok Bhavan. They are decided on the floor of the House."

ALSO READ: Tamil Nadu Govt Formation: TVK's Vijay Wins Number Game With Support Of VCK, IUML; Set To Take Oath As CM Today

The Left Extends 'Unconditional Support'

On May 8, the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the CPI (Marxist) held state committee meetings and reached the same decision as the Congress. The CPI issued a formal letter offering 'unconditional support' to TVK to form a government in Tamil Nadu.

CPI state secretary M Veerapandian said, "We have given our support; it is our democratic duty. This is a people's democracy. We will stand with democracy, we will stand with people."

"At present, TVK is the only party in a position to form the government. To prevent the BJP from coming to power indirectly, we have decided to support TVK," the CPI(M) said. The two parties contributed two seats each, taking the total tally to 116.

VCK Extends Support

VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan, whose two seats were the most debated during the talks, was the most direct of all the leaders when he finally spoke.

"We have to support Vijay to avoid President's Rule. We would not be an obstacle for Vijay to form the government. These are the two reasons for which we extended our support. There is no other political justification," he said.

He further stated, "We don't believe that they are secular or non-secular. We don't bother about that." His support was seen as a turning point, effectively ending days of suspense and providing the TVK with the final numbers required to form a government.

IUML's Stand

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) took the most unusual position of all. Party leader KAM Muhammed Abubacker declared that they would support the TVK to help form the government while simultaneously stating that the IUML would remain within the DMK-led alliance.

"There is no change. Still, the Indian Union Muslim League Tamil Nadu State Committee is continuing in the DMK-led alliance. We have given support to TVK to form the government. Without our support, they can't form the government. We are exercising our democratic right. We discussed this with them (DMK)," he said. The IUML's two seats took the final tally to 120.


Also In News