Ahead of the floor test to prove majority in the Assembly, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president on Monday walked the extra mile to meet his predecessor and DMK president MK Stalin at the latter’s residence, heralding a new political culture in the state.
Actor Rajinikanth met DMK president M K Stalin at his residence in Chennai soon after the party’s disappointing performance in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The unexpected visit has triggered interest.
Even as the DMK finds it difficult to digest the defeat at the hands of a debutant, Vijay, in the just-concluded assembly election, party president MK Stalin, in a bid to lift the morale of the rank and file of the party pointed out that the loss was of a meagre 3.52 per cent of votes and that the Dravidian major would bounce back to power.
The resignation comes against the backdrop of a major political shift in the state. The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, emerged as the single largest party, securing 107 seats in the 234-member assembly, just 11 short of the majority mark. The DMK, which had been in power, was reduced to 59 seats, marking a sharp decline.
A strong wave of public anger led to the defeat of many senior DMK ministers across Tamil Nadu. The big losses show a clear shift in politics as the party now moves to the Opposition.
Speaking in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Chief Minister MK Stalin asked, "How long must we continue in a position where they give and we merely receive?"
Dismissing the rising chorus for power sharing from a section of the party which was an unpalatable irritant to the ruling DMK as not the official line, Congress general Secretary KC Venugopal on Tuesday made it clear that the Dravidian major is an old ally and together with it the party would fight fascist forces.
Emboldened by the Rs 5,000 deposited to 1.31 crore women beneficiaries, the ruling DMK, in a major snub to its national ally Congress’ persistence with power share, on Saturday said from tomorrow no one will talk about coalition government.
Ahead of the impending election to the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the DMK government of MK Stalin has deposited Rs 5,000 in the bank accounts of the 1.31 crore women beneficiaries of the flagship Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai Thittam (Kalaignar Women’s Financial Right Scheme), under which women were extended Rs 1,000 a month.
Congress Lok Sabha Whip Manickam Tagore offered a guarded response to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s firm rejection of any power-sharing formula.
