BJP emissary Javdekar meets Vijayakanth, no decision yet on alliance

Chennai: BJP emissary and Union minister Prakash Javdekar called on DMDK leader Vijayakanth on February 28 in a bid to convince the DMDK to form alliance with the BJP for the forthcoming elections to the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Javdekar said, “We had a fruitful and meaningful discussion with Captain Vijayakanth”, Javdekar said about his meeting.

Javdekar said he would convey the outcome of the talks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and would have another meeting with Vijayakanth after the presentation of the Union Budget on February 29.

He said he had also held useful talks with three other parties – IJK, New Justice Party and AISMK. He would convey their views to the BJP national leadership and a final decision would be taken after further consultations. “I will tell you the details next week”, he said.

Asked if Vijayakanth would be part of the NDA, Javdekar said DMDK was already part of the NDA. Javdekar said this was his second meeting with Vijayakanth in recent times.

Javdekar, accompanied by BJP state president Tamizhisai Soundararajan and Muralidhar Rao, met Vijayakanth at his Virugambakkam residence in Chennai to discuss an electoral alliance. The two parties were part of the National Democratic Alliance for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but the DMDK  later dissociated itself with the BJP.

The BJP now has made a renewed attempt to forge ties with the DMDK, which is playing hard to get. At his recent party rally in Kancheepuram, Vijayakanth said he would like to be king and not king-maker, indicating that he could not go with the DMK. If at all the BJP or the People’s Welfare Front (MNF) led by Vaiko wanted him in their respective alliances, they must be prepared to project him as CM candidate. This was the clear message sent out by Vijayakanth.

The prospect of an alliance with the DMK has receded with Vijayakanth declaring that his party workers wanted him to be king rather than king-maker.