No compromise on symbols: TTV and OPS after holding talks with BJP

CHENNAI: Minutes after meeting the BJP delegation for seat-sharing talks, the general secretary of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) TTV Dhinakaran on Wednesday said there is no threat to their symbol 'Cooker' and the party will contest the coming Lok Sabha polls in their Cooker symbol.

Exuding the confidence that his party would get the Cooker symbol for the coming Lok Sabha polls too, the former MP said, "We (AMMK) have applied for a cooker symbol at the Election Commission of India. There is no coercion or threat regarding the cooker symbol. We hope that we will get the Cooker symbol. We will never contest in any other symbol, especially Lotus."

Welcoming the implementation of CAA, Dhinakaran said the CAA is not an Act to deprive people of citizenship and it is to provide citizenship to those who came as refugees and some parties are misleading the people.

"Some political parties are misleading the people over the implementation of CAA despite knowing the fact. During the election campaign, we (NDA) will break the false propaganda, set by the DMK and others by conducting door-to-door campaigns about the CAA and why this Act was brought, especially to the Muslim people throughout Tamil Nadu," he noted.

Accusing the ruling DMK, the AMMK general secretary said that the people of Tamil Nadu are deceived by the DMK rulers and the NDA has formed to defeat the evil forces like DMK and save Tamil Nadu.

Justifying his decision to join the BJP-led NDA, Dhinakaran said the Centre has not mounted any pressure on the hydrocarbon project now and there is no environmental threat to our farmers, especially to those from the Delta region and the NDA alliance is formed in the hope of bringing more welfare schemes to the people of Tamil Nadu by making Narendra Modi a Prime Minister for the third term.

Subsequently, former chief minister and expelled AIADMK leader, O Panneerselvam also held a discussion with the BJP delegation at Guindy in the wee hours of Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters, O Panneerselvam said that his faction will contest the coming Lok Sabha polls in Two leaves symbol and the ECI also recognised him as the coordinator of AIADMK and after examining the proceedings, we hope that the ECI would allocate Two Leaves symbol to us.

Meanwhile, the BJP leaders said both OPS and TTV Dhinakaran had submitted their wish list of LS constituencies and the seat allocation would be done once the party unlocked the alliance with the PMK.

Further, sources with Kamalalayam said the BJP delegation led by the party's election in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Arvind Menon would call on PMK founder S Ramadoss at his Tindivanam residence on Wednesday and seal the deal.