Congress threatens to besiege Raj Bhavan if TVK not invited to rule

Madurai Congress President Nallamani warned of a siege on Raj Bhavan if the Governor fails to invite Vijay's TVK to form a government. He accused the Governor of being a BJP agent and obstructing the democratic process after a fractured mandate.

President of the Madurai Corporation District Congress Committee (DCC), Nallamani, on Friday warned to lay siege to the Raj Bhavan if the Tamil Nadu Governor does not invite the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the government. Nallamani alleged that "from the first step of government formation, the Governor is obstructing the TVK."

While addressing reporters, Madurai City Congress President Nallamani said, "The Governor of Tamil Nadu is functioning as an agent of the BJP. As per the law, the Governor must invite the TVK to form the government. If the Governor fails to invite the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam to form the government, we will lay siege to the Raj Bhavan." "The BJP is operating from behind the scenes to prevent the formation of the government. The place to prove majority is not the Raj Bhavan, but the Legislative Assembly. Therefore, the Governor must invite Vijay to take oath as Chief Minister," Congress President Nallamani added.

Protest in Madurai

On Friday, Congress party members staged a protest in Madurai, condemning the BJP and the Governor for allegedly preventing the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government. More than 100 Congress cadres, led by Madurai City Congress Committee President Nallamani, participated in the protest near the Jhansi Rani Park in Madurai.

The protesters alleged that despite the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam securing a majority victory in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, it had not been invited to form the government. They also condemned the BJP and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar for allegedly acting against the Constitution of India.

Following the protest, a large number of police personnel were deployed in the area to maintain security.

The Hunt for a Majority

Congress has offered conditional support to the TVK's Vijay to form a government in Tamil Nadu and severed its ties with the DMK. Vijay's TVK has been working to garner support from other parties to form a government in Tamil Nadu since the verdict delivered a fractured mandate.

With the support of five Congress MLAs, the alliance stands at 112, still six short of the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member assembly. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) are separately holding an executive meeting to discuss whether they will withdraw their support to Vijay. Both parties have two MLAs each. Their support will take the TVK alliance tally to 117, just one short of the majority.

Other Political Developments

In another development, AIADMK leaders arrived at the residence of General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami in Chennai.

TVK supporters today staged a protest outside the Lok Bhavan in Chennai. A TVK supporter told ANI outside TVK Chief Vijay's residence, "... Vijay will take charge. DMK has been totally rejected. The public gave its vote to Vijay. DMK has no ground. The governor must take some appropriate action."

A fan said, "... I'm a big fan of Vijay, and I'm eagerly waiting to see him as Chief Minister." (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)