MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Monday said absence of a Prime Ministerial candidate in the opposition’s INDIA bloc will not cause any setback to its electoral prospects. The leaders of the opposition alliance have a cordial relationship among them, he told journalist during his customary New Year interaction with them in Chennai.
“Even within a political party there will be differences. But they will come together when time demands. I attended four of the five meetings of the leaders of the INDIA bloc and the question of the Prime Ministerial candidate was raised. It is a combination of various political parties. It cannot be said whether this will be decided now or after the elections,” said Mr. Vaiko.
Last month, Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee proposed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the Prime Ministerial face of the alliance.
Mr. Vaiko said he was the first to raise an objection when Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar addressed the meeting of INDIA bloc leaders in Hindi and he was supported by DMK Parliamentary Party leader T.R. Baalu.
“But we are united in our objective that the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not be elected to power again. I hope our united approach will ensure victory for our alliance,” he said.
Sometimes what was considered impossible would become possible, he said while responding to the question whether the opposition parties would be able to win the required number of seats in Hindi-speaking States and those in the western region of the country. He also said the opposition had lost with a narrow margin in the recently held Assembly elections in the Hindi heartland.
Mr. Vaiko charged that the BJP government was bent on destroying the democratic and Constitutional institutions in the country and created a situation that was far more dangerous than the time of Emergency. “This unusual situation has strengthened the bond between the opposition parties,” he said.
When asked how the opposition could be in a position to offer an ideological challenge to the BJP when some leaders of the INDIA bloc were not in favour of criticising (the deemed negative aspects of) Sanatana Dharma, he said such views were inevitable in an alliance of various political parties.
He accused the BJP government of treating Tamil Nadu with a step-motherly attitude even though the flood had caused unprecedented damage in Chennai and Southern districts. “Since 2015, Tamil Nadu’s due from the Centre stands over ₹21 lakh crore. But the Centre has released just 4% of the total requirement. But it has given more than ₹13,000 crore to the Uttar Pradesh government since it is ruled by a BJP government,” he charged.
