TVK says no scope for alliance with NDA; BJP chief remains evasive

Chennai: The actor Vijay-led TVK on Saturday denied any scope for alliance with the AIADMK-led NDA in Tamil Nadu and dismissed the reports on the likelihood of an electoral pact as media speculation.

BJP state chief Nainar Nagenthran, however, declined to provide a direct reply to a question from reporters on whether talks for an alliance with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam were on.

“You are worried about the alliance, and I am concerned about the people’s issues, especially the failure of law and order in the state and lack of safety for women,” Nagenthran told reporters here.

Dismissing the reports of negotiations for an alliance with NDA as "rumours," TVK's Joint General Secretary C T R Nirmal Kumar said that the virtual meeting with the party’s district secretaries held on March 13 was to assess the strengths and alliance prospects.

“There’s no scope for an alliance with the NDA. We have already made it clear that the BJP is our ideological enemy,” Nirmal Kumar told PTI and sought to know if the “rumours” were true, will the BJP accept Vijay as the chief ministerial candidate.

Later, in a statement, he appealed to party members not to believe the "rumours" and go by the official announcement of the party.

"Various news stories are being spread daily through the media and social media concerning the TVK, based on speculation, aiming to divert everyone's attention from people’s problems,” Nirmal Kumar said in the statement.

The party members should follow only the official announcements made on behalf of the TVK, he added.

At the virtual meeting, the district secretaries conveyed to TVK General Secretary N Anand that the party’s victory prospects would be more if it contested the election with an alliance, a source in the party said.