A day after formally quitting the DMK-led alliance, Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi (TaVK) president T Velmurugan sat with TNIE’s S Kumaresan to respond to questions on whether his decision was opportunistic, would it help the AIADMK-BJP alliance and his party’s future plans.
You harshly criticised the DMK on Sunday for ignoring key demands for long. Why did you then participate in seat-sharing talks and wait till now to quit?
For the past five years, I have been raising our demands. Every time, the government said they would consider and kept giving us hope. Even right before the elections, the government continued to announce schemes and issue orders. For example, the government credited Rs 5,000 for women (as part of Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai and a special package). Similarly, some demands of journalists and other groups were met at the last moment. So I believed our demands would also be fulfilled.
I expected that the government would take steps to meet our demands like releasing innocent Sri Lankan Tamils confined in special camps or issuing orders to prioritise Tamils in recruitment.
I told them clearly that I was not worried about how many seats we would get. I said fulfilling our 10 key demands was more important. But they did not agree to even five. That is when I realised that there was no point in continuing.
This decision is not about seats. Even now, I am ready to not contest. I can travel across Tamil Nadu and campaign for like-minded parties and candidates.
Was there any particular trigger for this decision?
The main issue was the ‘big brother’ attitude of the DMK. They did not treat alliance partners with respect. In this government, most decisions are taken by officials. There is very little role for elected representatives.
In these five years, there was not even one proper meeting where alliance leaders were called to discuss governance, public issues or policy decisions. Many welfare schemes were announced, but they were implemented without any discussion with alliance partners. Some schemes are useful, we do not deny that, but many appear to be short-sighted to attract voters.
If they had called us, we could have pitched in on how to improve the schemes.
Before 2021 elections, all alliance leaders stood together and promised good governance. But after coming to power, alliance partners were used only to praise the government. They did not share power with allies. They could have at least announced a common minimum programme.
Will your exit not benefit the AIADMK-BJP alliance, which you have opposed?
No, it will not. I am strongly against the BJP. They are my main political opponent.
If I had joined hands with the BJP, then such a claim could be made. But I am not doing that. I will continue to campaign against the BJP and explain to the people how their policies can affect Tamil Nadu.
What are your future plans?
My party is not just about me. For the past 15 years, we have been raising issues of different communities in Tamil Nadu. Many of these communities do not have representation in the Assembly or local bodies.
If we had been given more seats, I would have given opportunities to leaders from such communities. However, that chance was denied. Now, we plan to build our party across the state. We will bring together different small groups and communities who want to raise their voices. We aim to contest in all 234 constituencies.
Our goal is not electoral victory. It is to make people understand the issues we stand for.
We will continue to work for Tamil rights and take forward Tamil-based politics. Over time, this will help us gain recognition and strength in future alliances.
