VCK blames anti-secular forces for power share row, BJP terms it drama
These forces have been targeting VCK, which has a committed vote bank and plays a crucial role in the outcome of elections, they added.
Thol Thirumavalavan
CHENNAI: The perceived differences within the ruling alliance, though sparked by the VCK organising a conference on prohibition in Kallakurichi and also its leadership’s repeated reiteration of the demand for share in power, was because of anti-secular forces working relentlessly to weaken the DMK-led front by driving a wedge in alliance, alleged VCK leaders.
These forces have been targeting VCK, which has a committed vote bank and plays a crucial role in the outcome of elections, they added.
"The AIADMK was ready to offer four Lok Sabha seats and a Rajya Sabha seat to us ahead of the parliamentary polls 2024. But we remained firm on our ideology and compromised on the number of seats. Now, they are trying to twist the statements of our leader," claimed a senior VCK leader, who accompanied party chief Thol Thirumavalavan during his meeting with Chief Minister MK Stalin at the DMK headquarters on Monday.
However, not all are seemingly convinced by this. Political critic Tharasu Shyam called Thiruma's call for total prohibition a political gambit that is a misadventure. It would not give the VCK any leverage except keeping the party in limelight for a week or so, he said. “The DMK, on the other hand, played it cleverly by deputing two functionaries to the conference to keep the AIADMK away from it,” he opined.
Meanwhile, the BJP termed Thirumavalavan’s statements after meeting Stalin as a U-turn and a bid to increase its leverage during seat-sharing talks during polls. BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan dubbed it as a U-turn and a drama by Thiruma.
Besides the prohibition conference, a video of Thiruma calling for "share in power and governance" that was posted on his official social media handle, only to be deleted and reposted later, added to the controversy. However, the Chidambaram MP, after the meeting with Chief Minister Stalin, said his remarks were taken out of context, but maintained that it has been their stand for over a decade.
