The suspense over formation of a new government in Tamil Nadu continues.
On Friday evening, news first came about TVK chief actor Vijay going to take oath the next day at Nehru Stadium in Chennai, but minutes later, news came that the Governor has not yet invited him to form the government. The reason: Vijay still requires the requisite number of MLAs who will support his government.
On Friday evening, Vijay met Governor Rajendra Arlekar and submitted to him letters of support from 116 MLAs. The Governor asked him to bring letters of support for the requisite majority number, 118.
Vijay’s TVK has 107 members, Congress has five, and CPI and CPI-M have 4 members. Congress has given unconditional support, but the Left parties have given issue-based conditional support.
The DMK-led front in Tamil Nadu is officially dead. The Congress was the first to leave the front. DMK supremo M.K. Stalin is angry with the Congress for leaving the alliance in a hurry without any prior talks.
DMK parliamentary party chief and Stalin’s sister Kanimozhi wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker requesting for separate seating arrangement in the House for DMK MPs, as the party is no more part of INDIA bloc.
Stalin is unhappy that his party never left its alliance with Congress during difficult times, and helped Congress to win 5 assembly seats this time. But soon after the results were out, Rahul Gandhi decided to walk out of the front and supported Vijay’s TVK to form the government.
I have confirmed information that the DMK had tried to forge an AIADMK-led government after it lost the assembly elections. Stalin had reportedly told CPI, CPI-M and VCK leaders to offer outside support to AIADMK, but Left parties had a problem: AIADMK is aligned with BJP.
Left parties then decided to give issue-based support to Vijay’s party, but informed Stalin about this in advance.
DMK leaders feel that had not Congress left the alliance in a hurry, both DMK and AIADMK could have joined hands to stop Vijay from forming his government.
The situation has now come to such a pass that despite support from Congress and Left, Vijay is unable to arrange majority. He has met the Governor thrice, but he is still short of the magic number.
Anything can now happen in the changed situation. VCK leaders are in talks with Stalin. If DMK gives outside support to AIADMK government, then the Congress will be caught in a bind.
I remember how in 1979 Biju Patnaik arranged a meeting between DMK chief Karunanidhi and then AIADMK CM M.G. Ramachandran to discuss a proposal for merger, but he failed. Several ministers in MGR’s government were against merger.
The situation is now completely different. DMK has 59 and AIADMK has 47 MLAs.
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