Reports from senior Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) functionaries say party president Thol Thirumavalavan has appealed to the leadership of the DMK and the ruling TVK not to admit anyone who quits the VCK.
According to the accounts, several VCK office-bearers are said to be keen on moving to the TVK, believing the party’s vote base has shifted there after the Assembly election. At the same time, with the DMK projecting Dalit politics, VCK leaders are also said to be finding openings in the DMK.
The sources claim Thirumavalavan held talks with those preparing to switch parties, but they did not heed his request. He is said to have conveyed his appeal directly to DMK leader M.K. Stalin.
The report further says Stalin had earlier postponed the induction of former VCK MLA Panaiyur Babu, but later admitted him after Thirumavalavan began criticising the DMK. It also claims the DMK has been in touch with other former VCK MLAs and senior functionaries.
Separately, the sources say Thirumavalavan asked the TVK to inform him if anyone from the VCK approaches them. They add that he stopped a move by his sister’s son and state secretary Isai Amudhan, along with eight district secretaries, to join the TVK, with the help of TVK minister Aadhav Arjuna. The same sources also claim VCK functionaries are receiving invitations from the BJP with promises of board posts linked to the Union government, and that preventing such exits could be difficult.
