DMDK Set to Revisit Ties with BJP

Alliance to be hot topic at general council meeting in Kovai on January 7 as Vijayakant feels disconnect in NDA
DMDK Set to Revisit Ties with BJP

CHENNAI: In the backdrop of MDMK quitting the NDA and the PMK continuing to vehemently criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi,  DMDK headed by filmstar Vijayakant is scheduled to discuss its alliance with the BJP in its general council meeting to be held on January 7 at Coimbatore.

Vijayakant had praised the BJP government  for securing the release of five fishermen from Tamil Nadu after they were sentenced to death by a Sri Lankan court. He reiterated his praise even after Vaiko’s exit from the NDA. At the moment, DMDK does not have any difference with the BJP on any of the major issues.

But, the party feels there is not much coordination with the BJP and rues the fact that the saffron party is working independently without discussing any of the issues with its allies.

The other major point that is likely to come up for discussion is its position in the alliance as the leading party. The DMDK was given the highest number of seats in the alliance during the 2014 Parliament elections. It also wants to be the leader of the front in the next Assembly elections and wants a major share of the seats.

Above all, the party is looking forward to project its leader Vijayakant as the Chief Ministerial candidate in the forthcoming 2016 assembly polls.

The DMDK is also keen to contest the Srirangam bypoll, to prove its strength after the debacle in the Lok Sabha elections. A good performance by the party will be helpful in justifying its claim to the leadership of the alliance. However, the party may even consider leaving the seat to the BJP, which too is interested in contesting the bypoll.

Unlike the MDMK, which often praises the AIADMK on the Sri Lankan Tamils and the Mullaiperiyar dam issue, Vijayakant shares an uneasy relationship with the ruling party in the State and this equation could be the key in finalising its ties with the BJP that is in power at the Centre.

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