The Congress party has extended conditional support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the government following Vijay’s party’s stunning victory in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, said the party’s support would be contingent on TVK ensuring that no “communal forces” are included in the alliance.
“Our support shall be conditional upon the TVK keeping out from this alliance any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India,” he said.
Confirming that Vijay had requested Congress’s support in forming the government, Chodankar added that the alliance would be based on mutual respect, an appropriate sharing of responsibilities, and shared accountability.
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He emphasised that the alliance is not only aimed at the current government but also at future elections for local bodies, the Lok Sabha, and the Rajya Sabha.
“The alliance between the TVK and the Tamil Nadu Congress will strive to bring back Perunthalaivar Kamaraj’s glory days in Tamil Nadu, with a strong commitment to Thanthai Periyar’s social justice ideals and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s constitutional principles in the years and decades to come,” the statement read.
The Congress’s decision to support Vijay was taken at a hurriedly convened meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) late on Tuesday night.
The party emphasised that the mandate in Tamil Nadu reflects a demand for a secular government committed to upholding the Constitution in both letter and spirit.
“The people of Tamil Nadu, especially the youth, have delivered a very clear, strong, and overwhelming verdict for a secular, progressive, and welfarist government that believes in constitutional principles,” the party said.
TVKwon 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly and requires support from 10 MLAs to form a government with a simple majority. The Congress has secured five seats.
Following Congress’s move, reports suggest that the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Left Front are also likely to extend support to Vijay, strengthening his prospects of forming the government. |
