VCK to decide on joining Tamil Nadu cabinet after TVK's invitation

VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan is considering an invitation from the ruling TVK to join the Tamil Nadu cabinet. While most party members are in favour, the final decision will be made after consulting with senior functionaries.

VCK to Decide on Joining TN Cabinet

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol Thirumavalavan on Wednesday stated that his party would take a definitive decision on joining the Tamil Nadu cabinet after consulting senior functionaries and the general secretary.

"During the party's high-level committee meeting, most members expressed the view that the party should be part of the cabinet. However, in the end, we extended unconditional support. We respect the invitation from TVK. Now they are once again inviting us to join the cabinet. We will discuss it with the party functionaries and announce our decision. When Vijay visited the VCK office, he expressed his wish that we should be part of the cabinet," the VCK chief said.

"A situation did not arise for us to become part of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam alliance, so we continued our journey with the DMK alliance. There is no need to convene a high-level committee meeting again for discussions. We will consult with the general secretary and other senior functionaries before making a decision", he added.

Thirumavalavan was reacting to the invitation extended by Tamil Nadu Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Aadhav Arjuna for the VCK to join the state cabinet. "We respect the invitation from TVK. Now they are once again inviting us to join the cabinet. We will discuss it with the party functionaries and announce our decision," he said.

Tributes to Pandithar Ayothidasar

On the occasion of the 181st birth anniversary of Dravidian luminary Pandithar Ayothidasar, Thol Thirumavalavan, leader of the VCK and Chidambaram MP, paid floral tributes by garlanding the statue of Ayothidasar located at the Gandhi Mandapam campus in Guindy, Chennai. Speaking to reporters afterwards, he praised Pandithar Ayothidasar, stating that he was the one who propagated Dravidian ideologies even before Periyar and Dr BR Ambedkar. It was Pandithar Ayothidasar who initiated a Buddhist revival movement among Dalits in South India.

Left Parties React to Invitation

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu CPI(M) Secretary P Shanmugam on Wednesday said the Left parties and VCK had jointly decided to extend outside support to the government. "We, the Left parties and the VCK, had jointly decided to extend outside support. It is not necessary for the VCK to take exactly the same stand as the Left parties. If the VCK feels that an opportunity has arisen and wants to make use of it, there is nothing wrong with that," he said.

He also reiterated the Left parties' position regarding AIADMK's possible entry into the Tamil Nadu Cabinet. "We have already made it clear that if the AIADMK joins the Tamil Nadu Cabinet, we will reconsider our decision to give support to the state government. There has been no change in that position," Shanmugam said.

CM Wants 'One Family' Cabinet: Minister Arjuna

Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Minister Arjuna said Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay wants the state cabinet to function "like one family" and ensure representation to parties that extended support to the ruling coalition. Arjuna said the alliance led by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) remained intact and that the Chief Minister would soon announce cabinet expansion.

"The Chief Minister wants the cabinet to function like one family. The Chief Minister wants the parties that extended support to be represented in the cabinet," Arjuna said. Arjuna also said that AIADMK leader CV Shanmugam had not demanded power or ministerial positions and accused the DMK of abandoning its own ideological stand. (ANI)

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