Kanimozhi Rajathi Karunanidhi
This came after Kanimozhi’s meetings with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackerey and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule in Mumbai on Sept 12. Meanwhile, chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Sept 9 named the TVK-led combine as Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance (SSJVA), which includes erstwhile DMK allies Congress, VCK and IUML.
A senior Trinamool MP said, “Mamata Banerjee shares an excellent relationship with DMK chief M K Stalin. Anything said beyond that would be speculation. NCP (SP) sources said the party leadership remains non-committal to DMK’s proposal. DMK is testing the waters with opposition parties with which it has a good equation, unlike Congress,” a senior NCP leader said.
She also maintains very good ties with non-NDA parties and remains close to INDIA bloc members that are not allied with Congress. “DMK floated the idea of a third front, and a preliminary meeting was held. The new alliance will take on DMK and AIADMK in the upcoming local body elections in Tamil Nadu.
DMK deputy general secretary and MP Kanimozhi Rajathi Karunanidhi met Trinamool Congress chief and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence in Kolkata on Thursday. Today’s discussion was strictly between her and Kanimozhi.
Mamata has been particularly unhappy with Congress after the latter rejected her seat-sharing offer for the Oct 6 Nandigram and Rejinagar byelections.
A DMK leader said Kanimozhi has been tasked with reaching out to opposition leaders. “We are exploring the possibility of a third front without Congress,” the leader said. DMK broke all ties with Congress since the latter walked out of its alliance to join the TVK-led govt in Tamil Nadu in May. Kanimozhi’s discussions with these leaders have predominantly been on the proposed delimitation, though the broader idea is to bring them on board.