After experimenting with the alternative front floated by the People’s Welfare Alliance last year, the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) has now thrown its weight behind the AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma). Keen on maintaining an alliance with the ruling party, TMC president G.K. Vasan , in an interview with The Hindu on Monday, batted for reunification of its rival factions. Excerpts:
Your party is preparing for the local body polls, hoping that the O. Panneerselvam faction will continue its alliance with you. How does a possible merger of the AIADMK factions affect your strategy?
The TMC is always in favour of a united AIADMK. Even the people want that. OPS [O. Panneerselvam] himself has given a clear view on the merger. Hereafter, the TMC feels it is for the other side (AIADMK-Amma) to respond positively and for both of them to sit down and talk in the interests of the State.
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During the R.K. Nagar by-election campaign, the TMC was very involved with the AIADMK (PTA). Since then, the Panneerselvam camp has not talked about the TMC…
In general, we have been maintaining a good relationship.
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When you announced your support to the AIADMK (PTA), you said the alliance would continue beyond the R.K. Nagar by-election. However, Mr Panneerselvam merely nodded in agreement and did not say anything…
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If you want a verbal agreement from OPS, you can get it clarified from him yourself. You can ask them and find out…. We are in touch. There is no doubt about that.
In the past year, the TMC has tried forging alliances with major parties (including AIADMK and DMK). Why this oscillation?
I will be very clear in stating that we were not comfortable with not being given the importance that we were due. We should be treated with respect, in accordance with our party’s strengths. We felt that with some parties, we were not getting that.
It’s just been over a year since the AIADMK rebuffed your attempts at a pre-poll alliance. How wary are you when working with individuals who were major players in that system?
Ultimately, the TMC strongly feels that it is an alliance era in Tamil Nadu. No party can form a government without a proper alliance which is liked by the people…. In that way, the party feels that it has made the right choice.
How would you react if Mr. Panneerselvam decides to vote for the BJP’s candidate in the upcoming Presidential elections?
Presidential elections, I personally feel, is above a certain level of politics. That cannot be conflated with an alliance in a general election or an Assembly election.
What if, in the future, Mr. Panneerselvam decides to ally with the BJP?
As far as the TMC is concerned, that is not a reality today….There is no question of talking about an alliance for elections today. That would be the wrong way to go. Our priority is to strengthen the party.