DMK Deputy General Secretary A Raja criticized VCK’s deputy general secretary Aadhav Arjuna for his statement suggesting that the DMK cannot succeed in the northern districts without VCK’s support. The DMK MP pointed out that Aadhav’s remarks, made without fully grasping the DMK’s ideology, seemed to benefit the BJP indirectly.
Aadhav in an interview to Thanthi TV had said “if your party has a 30% vote share, why don’t you contest the polls by yourself and win? Why do you need 2% and 6% to add to that ‘big’30% vote share? Because there is an alliance, we are contesting only two seats. You can contest alone. In 2014, Madam Jayalalithaa contested alone and did not speak to anyone. Like that, you can contest all 234 constituencies alone. Both DMK and VCK need each other. If there were no alliance, DMK would not have won.”
He further said “In the north constituencies in TN, without VCK’s vote bank, DMK cannot win. You can check statistics for yourself. We have that much of an influence. If DMK has to win 50 out of 58 constituencies in north TN, they can win in the delta region; in the south, it is 50-50; in the west, it is difficult; only then can they cross 120. Since 1996, they have never formed a majority government. The victory in the northern constituencies is important for the DMK and VCK has a 60% share. 100% of the votes from Dalits and OBCs will vote for VCK. Everyone fights for the elections and wins but the victory is enjoyed only by DMK.”
He also said, “What can VCK’s principles be? Should it be what DMK thinks and acts upon? Or should we focus on how to improve the party and make it grow, focus on how to make VCK members minister? We want to make our leader the Dy CM or Chief Minister. What DMK think about that, will DMK suffer because of that, or what ADMK or other parties will think is not our cadres’ job?”
Aadhav Arjuna also jibed at Udhayanidhi Stalin, saying, “Someone who was in the film industry yesterday wants to become the Chief Minister, someone who came to politics yesterday is going to become the Deputy CM, they say, so why is my leader still not one?”
In an apparent jibe at MK Stalin’s reading abilities, Adhav Arjuna said, “He (Thirumavalavan) has been in politics for 40 years, a PhD holder, a Periyarist, Ambedkarite, well-read, he can read without any form of paper in hand for 2 hours, but if he wants to come to power, everyone belittles him and talks him down.”
Regarding these remarks, DMK MP A Raja emphasized his long-standing relationship with VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan, highlighting their shared leftist values that have gained national prominence. He expressed pride in VCK’s role within the DMK alliance, particularly in the fight against communalism and for social justice. However, he noted that Aadhav’s comments were politically misguided, and he was confident that Thirumavalavan would disapprove of them and take corrective action.
“VCK is prominent among the political parties that stand with the DMK in eradicating communalism and protecting social justice. But a new one (VCK deputy general secretary Aadhav Arjuna) in the party has criticised the DMK. He has spoken without political understanding. It is not right. Thol Thirumavalavan would certainly not agree with his opinion. He would certainly take a stand against this view. We hope Thirumavalavan will not allow this and will take action against him.” he said in a report.
Raja also stated that the DMK alliance remains united on core principles and dismissed Aadhav’s call for a common minimum programme as immature and misinformed, implying that it could inadvertently support the BJP. He reiterated his belief that Thirumavalavan would soon address the issue.
Subscribe to our Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram channels and get the best stories of the day delivered personally.