The Congress on Tuesday decided to support Tamil Nadu’s Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) in the interest of “protecting the Constitution” and secular values, people familiar with the matter said, even as the Chennai-based nascent party’s winning candidates elected the party’s founder, actor C Joseph Vijay, as its legislative party leader.
The Congress party’s move is certain to cause unrest in the Indian opposition party bloc in Tamil Nadu, and may lead to friction in the Congress’s 22-year-old alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member assembly and needs 10 more to cross the halfway mark. The Congress has won five seats and its support will take TVK’s tally to 113 seats. CPIM also indicated that it would express its “creative and critical appreciation” to the next government. It has two seats in the House of Representatives, which will take the tally to 115. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) and IUML, which have two seats each, are also expected to support TVK, taking it safely above the halfway mark.
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To be sure, there was also talk of a TVK alliance with the AIADMK, although this does not seem very likely, given that the latter contested the elections with the BJP and Vijay was emphatic about his Dravidian party credentials and his opposition to the BJP.
People familiar with the matter in Chennai said the TVK could always form a minority government, given that neither the AIADMK nor the DMK would vote for it as it could mean fresh elections and a bigger Vijay wave.
Also Read: Vijay’s TVK no. The first party in Tamil Nadu, but it lacks a majority. What will happen next – explaining the scenarios
In Chennai, TVK leaders said Vijay is likely to meet Tamil Nadu Governor-in-charge Rajendra Arlikar at Lok Bhavan on Wednesday. After the meeting, the party will take a decision regarding taking the oath and forming the government. They added that the swearing-in ceremony could take place on May 7.
Vijay’s meeting with the MLAs lasted over three hours at his Panaiyur office located around 45 km from the city centre.
In New Delhi, senior Congress leaders gathered at party chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence for a review meeting. “We mainly discussed the post-election scenario with Karji, Rahul Gandhi and the officials,” Congress general secretary KC Venugopal told reporters.
“Vijay has sought support from Congress. The mandate in Tamil Nadu is a secular government and commitments to protect the Constitution. We will not allow the BJP or its proxy to lead the government in any way. Vijay said he takes inspiration from Kamaraj. The Congress president directed the Pradesh Congress Committee to take the final decision keeping in mind the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu,” he added.
Also Read: Who is TVK’s KA Sengottaiyan, the ninth-time champion Tamil Nadu MLA in Vijay’s camp?
In a late-night development, the Congress Political Affairs Committee “unanimously” decided to support TVK to form a secular government, people familiar with the matter said.
Communist Party of India general secretary MA Baby said his party believes “some political morality needs to be upheld”, adding that “our approach, subject to further discussion, is to provide creative critical appreciation to the new government for keeping communal forces out. We want to protect the marginalized and will evaluate our position from issue to issue.”
The party is confident of proving its majority, TVK campaign secretary Nanjil P Sampath told reporters, without providing details. In response to a question about whether he would form an alliance with Congress, he said: “My personal view is that it will happen.”
According to political expert Vijayanand, who uses only one name (CHECK), the governor is inviting the single largest party to form the government and prove its majority. He added, “The governor, after inviting the largest party to form the government, can give him between seven to 15 days to prove the majority.”
Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gandhi congratulated TVK on its win.
In a social media post, the TVK chief while responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greetings for the party’s victory said, “Thank you PMOIndia for your greetings.” The well-being of our people remains our only goal.”
“Apart from politics, we will focus on the progress of the state and the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu. We look forward to supporting the Union government in this endeavour,” TVK’s official social media account added on Tuesday.
Vijay also responded to Gandhi’s greetings. “We will remain committed to excellence in public service, preserving the cultural spirit of our state which requires collective cooperation. Beyond politics, we will prioritize the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu,” he said in a post.
