CHENNAI: Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Sunday alleged that the BJP attempted to engineer a post-election alliance between the DMK and AIADMK to prevent Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay from becoming the Chief Minister after the May 4 Assembly election results.
Addressing reporters in Virudhunagar, Manickam Tagore claimed that the Assembly election results had come as a setback to the DMK, after which the then Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin allegedly initiated talks with the AIADMK leadership to explore the possibility of forming an alliance government with the rival party.
He alleged that senior BJP leaders facilitated discussions between DMK and AIADMK functionaries on the afternoon of May 4. According to Tagore, the plan was to install AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami as Chief Minister, while the DMK would extend outside support to the government with the Governor's backing.
"Udhayanidhi Stalin took every possible step to stop Vijay from becoming the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu," Tagore alleged. He further claimed that the information could be verified through CPM state secretary P Shanmugam, who, he said, was aware of the developments surrounding the reported political negotiations.
Accusing Udhayanidhi Stalin of abandoning the DMK's ideological foundations, Tagore said the party's principles had been "thrown into the garbage." He also alleged that the DMK was distancing itself from the Congress in Parliament and would eventually align politically with the BJP.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister and Congress floor leader S Rajesh Kumar rejected allegations of political betrayal by the Congress party. Speaking to reporters at Kanniyakumari, he said the Congress had never "backstabbed" any alliance partner and added that people were aware of attempts by the DMK and AIADMK to come together for power.
Rajesh Kumar said the Congress and Left parties supported TVK with the objective of forming a "secular government" in the State.