TMC talks with AIADMK break down

CHENNAI: The AIADMK offered the Tamil Maanila Congress about 15 seats to contest the May 16 Assembly poll as an ally but laid the condition that the TMC should fight under the ‘Two leaves’ symbol of the major partner. Dejected G K Vasan, the TMC chief, turned down the offer pointing out that he had got the ‘coconut farm’ symbol for his party just recently and his cadres and lieutenants would be demoralised if the party contested under the AIADMK symbol, according to informed sources here.

They said Vasan “is busy exploring other options, including the People’s Welfare Alliance”, whose leaders have been imploring him to join up the PWA and “strengthen the efforts to provide a clean alternative to both the DMK and the AIADMK”. As hundreds of cadres turned up at the party headquarters in Teynampet hoping that ‘good’ news on the AIADMK alliance would come, Mr Vasan convened a meeting of his senior leaders and district functionaries and told them that his negotiations with the AIADMK ruling party have not yielded desirable results.

“More than 2,000 party leaders who had evinced interest in contesting the Assembly elections told me during the interview process that the party should align with the AIADMK. To fulfil your wishes, I did talk to the AIADMK and tried to clinch a fair deal. But 99 per cent there will be no deal with the AIADMK,” Mr Vasan told his party men. “The ruling party wants the TMC to contest in ‘Two leaves’ symbol. The TMC will contest only in ‘Coconut farm’ symbol and this has been communicated to the concerned. Unless this demand is accepted, there is no way,” he told the TMC leaders.

Senior TMC leaders told DC that the ruling party was willing to give 15 seats to the party, but was adamant on it contesting it 'two leaves' symbol citing the AIADMK's 'Mission 234'. “Mr Vasan told the AIADMK leaders with whom he was negotiating that it was just not possible to contest in any symbol other than ‘Coconut farm’. He also told them that his party was not a single man unit but that of one which has a strong cadre base,” a senior leader said.

Vasan assured the party men that he would take a decision on the alliance in the next two days, with just two options available before him - to accept the invitation from MDMK chief Vaiko to join People's Welfare Alliance or to contest alone. Besides, vibrant social media is suggesting a possibility of TMC with the PMK and BJP. For Vasan, getting 15 seats in the AIADMK alliance would not have been considered a dishonourable score as people perceive it to be a 'Vetri kootani', which the TMC leader was reiterating all along.

Immediately after the news spread that the AIADMK-TMC talks have failed, leaders of PWA said their invitation to Mr Vasan still stands and that he was welcome into their fold. It is also said senior TMC emissaries have met DMDK leader Vijayakanth and made an emotional plea to bail out Vasan, citing the actor's close rapport with Vasan's father G.K. Moopanar. But, such an emotional appeal will not work with Vijayakanth's wife Premalatha and brother-in-law L.K. Sudeesh.