Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president B Manickam Tagore on Saturday said the entry of Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) into the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu would significantly strengthen the anti-BJP front in the state.
Calling it a “historic day” for opposition consolidation, he said TVK’s inclusion would bolster the collective opposition in Tamil Nadu.
Tagore also said bloc constituents had decided to hold district-level demonstrations across the state on October 13 and 14, demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll.
He said this would be followed by a major protest on October 15 with top leaders from all seven constituent parties of the INDIA bloc from the region, while alliance MPs would march to the Election Commission of India headquarters in New Delhi on October 6.
Speaking to reporters after a multi-party coordination meeting at the TNCC headquarters, Sathyamurthy Bhavan, in Chennai, Tagore said, “The INDIA bloc, particularly in Tamil Nadu, is strengthened by the entry of TVK.”
He added, “This shows that the fight against the RSS-BJP, particularly the misrule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is going to be an interesting fight in Tamil Nadu as well.”
Asked about the DMK’s absence from the meeting, Tagore rejected suggestions of any internal rift and said the alliance remained an open platform for all political forces opposing the ruling dispensation at the Centre.
“The INDIA bloc is a collective struggle against the policies of the RSS, BJP, Amit Shah, and Modi, which are detrimental to Indian democracy,” he said, adding that the DMK leadership continued to be actively engaged with the national platform.
When pressed further, Tagore said, “If a party decides not to attend a specific local meeting, questions should be directed to their leadership. Our primary objective remains the unified political fight against the central administration.”
The coordination meeting was attended by representatives of the Congress, TVK, CPI(M), CPI, VCK, MDMK and IUML. MDMK chief Vaiko said the opposition leaders had come together to address pressing national issues, including concerns over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls.
With TVK joining the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu, opposition parties said they were preparing for a wider political fight in the state while also stepping up protests over the electoral roll revision and the role of the Election Commission.
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