Vanni Arasu rebuts Premallatha Vijayakant's claim on VCK-TTVK alliance

Tamil Nadu Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu on Thursday pushed back against DMDK general secretary Premallatha Vijayakant's suggestion that the VCK had aligned with the TVK alliance in pursuit of a ministerial position, saying she had misconstrued the context of recent remarks by VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan.

Ms. Premallatha had on Wednesday questioned Mr. Thirumavalavan's criticism of the late induction of the DMDK into the erstwhile DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance ahead of the Assembly elections. She contended that the VCK had thrown its lot with the TVK alliance because it wanted a ministerial berth, and asked why it had not instead offered outside support to the government in the manner of the Communist parties.

Responding to reporters, Mr. Arasu said the VCK had long been a constituent of the DMK alliance and that Mr. Thirumavalavan's comments were rooted in the friction caused by a newer entrant being allotted more seats than the VCK. He stressed that the observation was not directed at the DMDK but was instead a comment on how the DMK had managed the alliance.

The Minister noted that similar disagreements had surfaced during seat-sharing negotiations with the Congress and the Left parties, and that the allocation of a larger share to a party that joined the alliance later was another such point of contention.

Mr. Arasu also recalled the DMDK's earlier association with the BJP and its talks with various alliances before it eventually joined the DMK alliance in exchange for a Rajya Sabha seat.

Turning to NTK chief Seeman's recent remark that he would have backed the Left parties had he been aware of the facts, Mr. Arasu said Mr. Seeman should withdraw his candidate on the final day of scrutiny if his intention to support the Left parties was genuine.