CHENNAI, May 6: The Congress party, a long-time ally of the DMK, on Wednesday announced its support to actor-politician Vijay’s TVK to form the government in Tamil Nadu and severed ties with the Dravidian major.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) have decided to extend its full support to the TVK to form the government, AICC Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar said, citing TVK chief Vijay’s request seeking support.
Congress workers burst firecrackers at the party state headquarters Satyamurthi Bhavan here to welcome the announcement.
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Chodankar, in a statement, said Vijay has formally requested the Congress party to extend its support for forming a government in Tamil Nadu.
The people of Tamil Nadu, especially the youth, have delivered a very clear, strong and overwhelming verdict for a secular, progressive and welfarist government that believes in constitutional principles. They have chosen the TVK led by Vijay to form the next government.
He said: “The Indian National Congress stands for, and is the founding political party for, secular, progressive and welfarist politics in India. It is our constitutional duty to respect, uphold and help fulfil this mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu. Accordingly, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) have decided to extend its full support to the TVK to form the government.”
The Congress, however, came up with a condition and asked the TVK to ensure that communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India are kept out of the alliance fold.
The alliance between the TVK and the Tamil Nadu Congress will strive to bring back iconic leader Perunthalaivar (great leader) Kamaraj’s “glory days of Tamil Nadu,” with a strong commitment to Periyar EVR’s social justice and Dr B R Ambedkar’s constitutional ideals in the years and decades to come.
He said: “This alliance – founded on mutual respect, appropriate share, and shared responsibility between the two parties is not only for the formation of this government, but also for future elections to the local body organisations, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.”
Vijay and Rahul Gandhi jointly pledge to respect this historic verdict of the people of Tamil Nadu for a secular and progressive government, and to fulfil the dreams and promises of the people, especially the youth of Tamil Nadu, Chodankar underlined in the statement.
AICC In-charge for Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar, TNCC President K Selvaperunthagai, Legislative party leader S Rajesh Kumar and party office-bearer Praveen Chakravarthy, called on Vijay at TVK party office at Panaiyur here and handed over a letter of support to form the government. TVK leaders, including K Sengottaiyan were present.
DMK is one of the oldest allies of the Congress party and the two parties joined hands for the first time in 1971 when Assembly and Lok Sabha polls were held together. DMK was part of the UPA regimes from 2004 to 2013. In 2016, the Congress revived its ties with the DMK.
The DMK has dubbed the act of Congress to snap ties with it and join forces with TVK as “backstabbing.”
Vijay-led TVK secured an impressive 108 seats on its maiden electoral debut and trounced the incumbent DMK led by Stalin, which finished with only 59 seats.
The opposition AIADMK won 47 seats while its allies, the PMK obtained four and the BJP and AMMK clinched one seat each in the election, according to the data available on the Election Commission of India’s website.
The DMK’s other allies– the IUML, CPI, CPI (M), and VCK won two seats each and the DMDK secured one. The votes were taken up for counting on May 4 and the final tally was announced on Tuesday. (PTI)
