Governor Arlekar honours Vijay with shawl and memento, yet to extend invite

In a rare gesture, Tamil Nadu Governor Vishwanath Rajendra Arlekar presented Vijay with a shawl and a memento on Wednesday when the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president called on him at the Lok Bhavan to stake claim to form a government in Tamil Nadu.

While the shawl is a silk one, the memento is a replica of the famed shore temple at the Pallava era 6th century shore temple at the coastal Mamallapuram, a UNESCO heritage monument. According to political circles, it is rare for the Governor to accord this honour to any leader even before they are designated as Chief Minister. However, it is not a violation of protocol as some claim, since the Raj Bhavan is the Governor’s residence and he can receive guests as he/she pleases.

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Even as preparations are underway for the swearing-in of the Vijay ‘Sarkar’ with the TVK leadership finalising the list of ministers, the Governor has yet to extend the invite. The swearing-in is slated to take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. Since the TVK has presented only the letter of support from the Congress, the Lok Bhavan could make a decision after legal consultation and with the Union Home Ministry on the next course of action.

Though the TVK, as the single-largest party might be enough to extend an invite to Vijay, this situation should not mirror that of Vajpayee, who was invited by then-President R. Venkataraman. At the same time, senior TVK leaders are mustering support for the party. DMK allies, including the VCK and CPI, have given positive feelers while the CPI(M) remains ambivalent. All the three parties have two legislators each, which is enough for the TVK to pass the floor test. With TVK general secretary N Anand meeting AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), sources said there is hope that the Dravidian major could either extend outside support or allow abstentions during a floor test.