Chennai: Ahead of the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) party has withdrawn from the ruling DMK alliance. TVK leader T. Velmurugan announced this on Sunday, stating that their 10-point charter of demands had not been fulfilled.
Speaking to reporters at the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi headquarters in Chennai, Velmurugan said, “We have been a part of the DMK alliance since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. For this assembly election, the DMK invited us for alliance-related talks, and discussions did take place. DMK leaders informed us that they would allocate one seat to the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi. While there may be some flexibility regarding specific constituencies, the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi possesses its own distinct ideology and principles.”
He added, “We submitted a 10-point charter of demands to the DMK leaders, aimed at benefiting various sections of society, including farmers, students, and mothers. I had raised these very demands within the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly as well. However, the DMK government paid absolutely no heed to my demands. According to the DMK, parties such as the Congress, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and the Left parties joined their alliance without putting forward any specific demands. The DMK’s response was that our insistence on continuously pressing our demands was not in consonance with the spirit of the alliance.”
Velmurugan further stated, “My sole objective is to work for the welfare of the people who cast their votes for us. In the Neyveli region, the DMK government—in collaboration with the Central Government—is establishing a coal mine project; this project entails the demolition of homes, temples, mosques, and churches.” Officials have reportedly informed the Chief Minister that Velmurugan has become a persistent source of trouble and obstruction for the DMK administration. Under the current DMK regime, Tamil Nadu is effectively being governed by bureaucrats rather than by elected representatives. Furthermore, certain individuals operating from within the DMK administration are actively promoting fascist ideologies.
He stated that the DMK government has decided to sideline and ignore the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK). How can the DMK claim to uphold social justice when it aligns itself with groups that stand in opposition to the very principles of social justice? The DMK government has failed to take any concrete steps toward conducting a caste-based census. Nor has the DMK government taken any action regarding the 10.5% reservation allocated to the Vanniyar community. The proposed 20% reservation for individuals educated in the Tamil medium has yet to be enacted into law. Under the current DMK rule, the Tamil people have not received the social justice to which they are entitled.
He added that bureaucrats are preventing the Chief Minister from making decisions according to his own volition. Their interference, which was previously confined solely to the realm of governance, has now extended into the electoral arena as well, where they are sowing confusion and discord.
Velmurugan announced that leaders from the constituent parties of the DMK alliance had personally reached out to him. “I express my heartfelt gratitude to all of them. The TVK is withdrawing from the DMK alliance. I will soon hold a press conference to announce the party’s strategy for the upcoming elections.” He further clarified that they would not be joining the NDA-led alliance.
