Tamil Maanila Congress' talks with AIADMK on symbol break down

CHENNAI: The Tamil Maanila Congress on Thursday turned down AIADMK’s proposal to contest the Assembly elections with its symbol ‘Two leaves’, effectively applying brakes in the talks between the two parties.

The fledgling party led by G.K. Vasan insisted that it would contest the ensuing elections only on the ‘coconut farm’ symbol, allotted to Tamil Maanila Congress.

Mr Vasan convened a meeting informing that the negotiations with the ruling party have not yielded the desired results. As unrest prevailed, he also assured party men that he would take a decision on the alliance in the next two days.

“The ruling party wants the TMC to contest on the ‘Two leaves’ symbol. The TMC will contest only on the ‘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 but was adamant on it contesting on the ‘two leaves’ symbol citing 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 outfit, but one which has a strong cadre base,” a senior leader said.

It was revealed there were some differences on the number of seats to be allotted as well, but the core issue at the centre of the breakdown of the talks was the AIADMK’s insistence that all alliance partners should contest only with the ‘two leaves’ symbol.

Immediately after the news spread that the AIADMK-TMC talks had failed, leaders of PWA said their invitation to Mr Vasan still stands and that he was welcome to their fold.