Deadlock in talks with Vijayakant may prolong, feel AIADMK leaders

“AIADMK’s generosity to the PMK by awarding seven Lok Sabha seats and a Rajya Sabha seat has made other political parties like the DMDK to demandmore seats from the ruling party. The DMDK leadership fail to realise the advantage of being apart of the grand alliance,” the source said.

According to the AIADMK headquarters sources, Minister P Thangamani and the BJP leaders will soon hold another round of talks with the DMDK. The party has already allotted 16 seats for its allies (PMK – 7, BJP – 5, one seat each to Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi, Puthiya Thamizhagam, NR Congress and Pudhiya Needhi Katchi) and this leaves the AIADMK with 24 seats thus making it difficult to accommodate the demands of the DMDK, sources explained.

Meanwhile, Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said that there was no setback in the alliance talks with the DMDK. Good news will come in a couple of days, he said adding that the AIADMK will lead the alliance in the state.

Co-operatives Minister Sellur K Raju also echoed the sentiments of his cabinet colleague Jayakumar and said that the DMDK will soon be a part of the victory alliance formed by the AIADMK leaders Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam.

Ahead of AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary, the party leaders also reached out to the cadre and asked the workers to take a vow and ensure that the party’s alliance win in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.

With the alliance talks dragging on, an upset DMDK has invited applications from aspiring party workers. Vijayakant’s son Vijayaprabhakar took a jibe at the political parties for criticising his father’s illness. “If the Captain is unwell then why do you queue outside our house. We know our strength and will not accept meagre seats,” he said while addressing a public meeting organised in the city on Saturday.

In a related development, AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, who is touring Salem district on Saturday, said that his party will not ally with the DMDK. “DMDK leader Vijayakant had objected to the installation of Amma’s (Jayalalithaa’s) portrait in the state secretariat and he has spoken ill about Amma, when she was alive. Due to these reasons, AMMK will not ally with the DMDK, Dhinakaran said adding that his party would go solo and contest in 38 of the 40 Parliament seats in the state. Dhinakaran also said that his party will release the candidates list on February 28.