VCK pushed me to join TVK cabinet: Thirumavalavan on charges of weakening party

Thol Thirumavalavan said VCK cadre pressed him to accept the TVK invitation to join the cabinet. He said the shift reflected electoral considerations and repeated appeals from party workers.

In Short

• Thirumavalavan says alliance choices shaped by electoral requirements
• Thirumavalavan rejected claims that he had ever weakened the party
• VCK had earlier aligned with the DMK-led Left front, he noted

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol. Thirumavalavan defended his party’s decision to support the TVK-led government and said the move was taken independently after extensive internal discussions.

Addressing criticism over the decision, Thirumavalavan said electoral decisions are taken based on political circumstances and recalled that VCK had previously been part of alliances with the DMK and Left parties.

“I have worked for the strengthening of the party ahead of elections. There have been many malicious attempts to malign that I have weakened the party. I have not done it even once and have shown it by actions,” he said.

Thirumavalavan said he had initially maintained that VCK would only support the formation of the government and would not join the cabinet. However, he said party cadre pressured him to reconsider the stand after TVK extended an invitation.

“It was the decision of our party cadre to be part of the cabinet. My party cadre sent me WhatsApp messages asking me to reconsider that decision and accept TVK’s invite to be part of the cabinet,” he said.

The VCK chief said the party held internal discussions for more than two hours before taking the decision. He added that the outcome of the meeting was later conveyed to DMK president MK Stalin before the formal announcement was made.

“We discussed it for more than two hours in our internal meeting. Then conveyed and explained it to alliance leader MK Stalin. We decided to make the formal announcement post that,” he said.

Thirumavalavan also rejected speculation that VCK had formally joined the TVK alliance and asserted that the party acted independently.

“We are not in any alliance. We are not in a TVK alliance,” he said.

“To support or not to support is our independent decision and right. Many from outside speculated the reason for our delay and ran a malicious campaign against us. No one has the right to taint our integrity,” he added.

- Ends