CHENNAI: With chances of Vaiko joining hands with the DMK diminishing after the latter admitted one of MDMK’s district secretaries into its fold on Sunday, all eyes are on Vaiko’s Tirupur conference on Tuesday to get an idea about his strategy for the forthcoming Assembly elections.
MDMK’s Palavakkam Somu joining the DMK is seen as an indication that efforts to persuade Vaiko to abandon the five-party People’s Welfare Front and form an alliance with the DMK have failed. Though it is said that Vaiko is opposed to DMK’s condition to keep Thol Thirumavalavan’s VCK out of an alliance, there is no confirmation from either side whether preliminary talks were held.
While some media reports mention that there is stiff opposition from MDMK functionaries to Vaiko’s idea of facing elections in the company of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi and Left parties, Somu’s exit is the first open show of dissent against Vaiko’s new alliance experiment.
Somu has alleged that the MDMK chief refused to accept suggestions from senior leaders to join the DMK front and was firm about converting the five-party front into an electoral alliance.
With reports suggesting that more MDMK functionaries are likely to cross over, the DMK seems to have launched an all-out attack on Vaiko after its leadership came to a conclusion that the latter is likely to go with the People’s Welfare Front.
An MDMK functionary said, “Even if our leader has an open mind about joining the DMK front, the latter’s efforts to break the MDMK will prove counter-productive and derail chances for revival of the alliance. Now, the cadre know that DMK leadership is all set to destroy the MDMK and they will not accept an alliance with them.”
Political analyst Govi Lenin, however, does not rule out revival of ties between DMK and the MDMK. “Defections of party functionaries will not be an obstacle to forming alliances. Probably, the DMK has taken out the stick as the carrot policy failed. If there is more pressure, Vaiko may yield to DMK or the DMK may agree to Vaiko’s demands, if MDMK did not crack”.
A State-level MDMK functionary also did not dismiss the possibility of revival of the alliance. “I do not know if our leader will make any declaration in Tiruppur. There are eight more months for Assembly elections and anything can happen. There is no need to unveil the alliance strategy immediately.”
At its State conference in Virudhunagar in 2013, the MDMK announced an alliance with BJP and in 2014 Poonamalee conference, Vaiko declared that the party would oppose the AIADMK. If the party through a resolution or Vaiko’s speech does not come out with a clear stand on the alliance, it can be concluded that it has not shut its doors on DMK.
‘People’s front must Rope in DMDK’
Gandhian People’s Movement leader ‘Thamizharuvi’ Manian said the five parties in the People’s Welfare Front should bring in Vijayakant’s DMDK and GK Vasan’s Tamil Maanila Congress to its fold. “If it succeeded in this effort, it can equal the DMK’s vote share”.