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Congress Rajya Sabha MP Christopher Tilak addressed reporters at the Trichy airport and said he was travelling to Chennai with the hope that clarity would emerge within the next two days regarding the formation of the new government.
He said discussions would be held with party functionaries on the Assembly election victory and on what the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) intends to do next. He expressed confidence that a new government could assume office within the next 10 days. Claiming that TVK secured 35 per cent of the votes while the DMK obtained 30 per cent, he said the verdict reflected the people's opposition to the BJP and showed that voters did not want the BJP to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu. Tilak said the present political arrangement was formed with secularism as its core principle and that the Congress party had taken its decision to ensure that this secular framework remains intact. He added that TVK leader Vijay should continue to speak strongly against the BJP and in support of secular values. He said that despite Congress having only five MLAs, the party had taken its stand keeping in mind the condition of Tamil Nadu and the need to protect secularism. Questioning criticism directed at Congress, Tilak pointed out that the DMK had earlier won 39 Lok Sabha seats with the support of alliance votes and asked whether those MPs would resign on that basis. He similarly questioned whether Udhayanidhi Stalin would resign, since he too had won with the support of alliance partners, including Congress. He described the Congress move as an effort to block the BJP's next political strategy in the state. Referring to campaign rhetoric during the elections, Tilak said it was difficult to explain the punch dialogues used by various leaders and added that the focus should now be on how Vijay fulfils his promises. He alleged that while other parties had spent heavily during the elections, TVK candidates were not under pressure to spend huge amounts. Except for a few candidates, many voters did not even know who the candidates contesting under the whistle symbol were, and in several places, campaigning had not been carried out effectively, yet they had still won, he said. According to him, this indicated that TVK members would not be driven by the need to recover election expenses, reducing the chances of corruption. On the possibility of a DMK-AIADMK alliance, Tilak questioned whether it would be appropriate for the DMK to align with a party that he claimed had direct links with the BJP. He also alleged that the DMK, despite leading the alliance before and after the elections, had not behaved with the attitude of an accommodating elder brother. Tilak said Chief Minister M. K. Stalin had spent the last five years politically opposing the BJP's expansion in Tamil Nadu, and Congress had now taken a similar stand to prevent any confusion or instability ahead of the Parliamentary elections. He further said that if no clear majority emerged, the political uncertainty could drag on for six months and should not be allowed to continue. Stating that TVK's victory was aided by Vijay's fan base and public dissatisfaction with the incumbent government, Tilak alleged that ruling party candidates had spent the most during the elections. He also claimed that actor Rajinikanth met Stalin only to create a political "scene" for himself in the prevailing situation. (ANI)
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