Alliance talks remain fluid in both ruling and opposition camps in state

As if TNCC chief KS Alagiri’s appeal to actor-politician Kamal Haasan to join the secular front even after the latter called DMK a “dirt bag” were not enough, probable ally Thirumavalavan, leader of VCK, disturbed peace in Anna Arivalayam by declaring that he would not be a part of an alliance comprising the PMK.

Thirumavalavan had clarified that it would affect the alliance led by the DMK and the Vanniyar-backed PMK was triggering speculation only to increase its bargaining power with the ruling AIADMK and that too when the speculation suggested that DMK president MK Stalin was facing pressure within the party to take the PMK on board.

Ironically, DMK treasurer Duraimurugan has fueled the speculation instead of putting it to rest by claiming that nothing was certain till the alliance agreements were inked. Duraimurugan revealed the fluid state of alliance talks by remarking that some parties could quit the alliance over differences in seat sharing at the nick of time and some new parties could join the fold. Barely a week ago, MJ Jawahirullah’s MMK reiterated that they were a part of the DMK alliance and political rivals were spreading lies about fractures in the alliance.

The scenario was no different in the ruling AIADMK where the party was still not able to either confirm or deny talks, let alone forging an alliance with the BJP, unlike the DMK which had proposed Congress president Rahul Gandhi for Prime Minister.

While admitting that it had received interest from the BJP and a few others, the AIADMK leadership was engaged in some high-decibel public relations exercise to mute dissent within the party to strike an electoral deal with the BJP. Though there were no palpable differences between the two parties, the PMK appears to keeping the AIADMK guessing by holding parleys with the DMK simultaneously.