- 12 hours ago
In a major political development in Tamil Nadu, the CPI, CPM, and VCK have agreed to support the TVK chief, enabling the party to reach the crucial halfway majority mark of 118 MLAs.
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00:00Story at this time, as far as the Tamil Nadu conundrum is concerned, what we are learning is this, that
00:05the CPI, the CPM and VCK are deciding to support TVK, Vijay in the state of Tamil Nadu.
00:14It's a big win for Vijay with 108, he was looking for 10 seats, 10 MLEs to in fact ensure
00:23that he has the support and also to get the halfway majority mark and it does appear that he perhaps
00:32is getting that support now with the CPI, CPM and VCK supporting Vijay in the state of Tamil Nadu.
00:40The CPI working committee is looking at support for TVK, the CPIM state meeting is also taking place and they
00:50support the TVK, VCK has also agreed, they are going to be holding a press conference at 4.30pm for
00:59a final decision on the same is what we are learning.
01:02Fast moving political developments, Anagai is getting in more details, several permutations and combinations are being looked at but right
01:10now there is some good news for Vijay.
01:14Anagai with the news of CPI, CPM and VCK deciding to support him, talk to us about how the numbers
01:22really look like at this point in time.
01:27In fact, it's quite interesting how Vijay just touches that halfway mark because he has 107 plus the support of
01:355 Congress MLEs which will add up to 112 and then 2 from VCK, 2 from CPI, 2 from CPM.
01:41It will just touch 118. Bang on. With 118 signatures, we believe Vijay has sought that appointment from the Governor.
01:51He has sought appointment at 4.30pm.
01:53It looks like he has already gotten that support from these smaller parties and as I speak from the Communist
01:59Office, they are all having their meeting upstairs.
02:02As the party leader Shanmugam, we believe is uprising to his party carder about this decision that has been taken
02:08by these parties, the CPI, CPM and the VCK to extend their support to Vijay.
02:14And we broke it first on India today that the VCK and the left parties will be travelling together whichever
02:20way they go.
02:21VCK had already more or less made up their mind and the ball was in the left party's court.
02:26And they are having that crucial discussion at the moment. It's just a matter of announcement with the party carder
02:33and subsequently Shanmugam, the party leader, will be coming down where I am reporting from and he will be making
02:38a formal announcement at around 6.30pm when Vijay hands over the letter to the Governor.
02:44It has been a dramatic sequence of events that have taken place and what this means is that TVK will
02:51not require the support of AIA-DMK.
02:54Remember, AIA-DMK was expecting Vijay to approach them.
02:57A moment from now, Anaga, in fact, Akshita is also joining us for the very latest on that story.
03:02So, as far as TVK and Vijay is concerned, looks like there is some good news for him.
03:07He finally will have 118. That's the magic number that he needs, Akshita.
03:13That's right. It's a dumb deal now, Sneha.
03:15Sources telling us that everyone's on board.
03:18What seemed like it would take a lot more time and drag on has been achieved.
03:23And it's taken multiple fronts, essentially, for this to happen, including a conversation between Malikha Junkarge and Seoul Tirma Wallavan,
03:31including a left meeting that took place in Delhi, where you had the representatives of CPI and CPM coming together,
03:36having a conversation, meeting and deciding this is the direction we'll go in.
03:40Absolutely.
03:41That's aligned with what the Tamil Nadu unit also thought.
03:43The Tamil Nadu unit of the left, the VCK, considering and courtesy that conversation with Malikha Junkarge has come on
03:49board.
03:50Because both, essentially, it's a package deal.
03:52There's no question of it being broken up that the left will be on one side and the VCK on
03:56the other.
03:56This was a package deal of six seats in one shot.
03:59Vijay thought that he touched the exact mark of 118.
04:03You can question whether it's a stable government or not, but that's a problem for another day.
04:07For now, the governor often gives us 118 signatures.
04:10It's now armed with that letter, with the signatures, that Vijay will be going to meet the governor at 4
04:16.30.
04:16They were waiting exactly for this, Neha.
04:18That's right.
04:19You know, they were on hold, waiting, hit the pause button, and the moment they got the green signal,
04:24they shot off a request to the governor.
04:25Interesting that this also leaves the Congress that has been left out in the cold.
04:30Akshita, initially a part of the plan.
04:32The Congress really has got no options now but to sit out, isn't it, Akshita?
04:37No, sit out meaning flayer?
04:39In the sense that they aren't a part of this.
04:42They will obviously not be a part of the government.
04:44Initially, they were in talks with the TVK.
04:46No, they are part of the TVK alliance.
04:49Okay.
04:49It's the TVK plus Congress plus VCK plus left.
04:53That's the combination that's working out right now.
04:55Okay.
04:56Including those five MLAs from the Congress, very much part of the TVK alliance.
05:00They'll in fact get very plumb portfolios, there's no doubt about it.
05:03The Congress has played a big role, Neha, in getting the VCK and the left on board as well.
05:07So, they've been an integral architect in ensuring this deal comes through,
05:12which is what the TVK wanted them to do as well.
05:15Okay.
05:15Because this is that the VCK and left were part of the same alliance as the Congress.
05:18The Congress was expected to use that relationship to move things forward,
05:22which is exactly what's happened.
05:23Akshita, be with us.
05:24I'm just going to come back to you in a moment from now.
05:26I'm also going to bring in Preeti in this conversation.
05:29In fact, it's over to you, Preeti, taking us to the very latest as far as the good news for
05:33Vijay here is concerned.
05:39You know, I just want to ask my camera person, Sachin, to also come.
05:42There were some supporters of the TVK and Vijay who had come here with flags.
05:47They've just been removed.
05:48But suddenly, you see a lot of action, you know, that is taking place right outside the governor's residence at
05:54Lok Bhawan.
05:55Barricades have suddenly been put up.
05:57The police machinery has been activated.
06:00It does seem that he's been given the go-ahead.
06:03What it really means right now, viewers, is that TVK Vijay will now be sworn in as the chief minister
06:13of the state of Tamil Nadu of days of suspended annihilation.
06:17So, like I said, I'm just showing you the visuals.
06:20There's lots of movement barricading right now.
06:24Everyone was just, you know, especially the police here, was taking a bit of a break.
06:29As this news has broken, extra contingent of the police have all been moved in at the Lok Bhawan.
06:35And what you can see on your television screen is the state of suspended animation now actually ending.
06:41How really it has come to an end, viewers, is the fact that VCK and the left parties are on
06:48board.
06:49How did they come on board?
06:50And I want to take you through what really went at the back channel, the back channel communication and how
06:58it was brought together.
06:59It was the Congress that did it.
07:01VCK was already upset, viewers, with the TVK in the manner in which the TVK had approached the VCK for
07:09support through a WhatsApp message.
07:11Well, what happened was, and I'll give you the sequence of events, to end the suspended animation, to close that
07:18window of opportunity for other political players to exploit.
07:22You had the Congress, not just the state leadership in the Tamil Nadu, not just any other leader, directly the
07:29president of the Congress party.
07:32Malik Arjun Kharge, who himself took things in his hand and spoke to the VCK chief, requesting him to pledge
07:39support to the TVK.
07:41Right before that, he only did this, the president only stepped in to speak to the VCK chief before he
07:48had already, the Congress had already somewhere down the line spoken to the two left parties there and had got
07:57them on board.
07:57As we speak right now, there are conversations that are taking place where the left parties are concerned, the CPI
08:09and the CPIML locked in conversations, speaking to their people.
08:13But they wanted this official announcement to be made.
08:16The Congress requested both the left parties and the VCK to give the confirmation today itself and have the deliberation
08:27with their parties later because they didn't want, you know, any other political player.
08:32Largely the AIDMK that was mulling-breaking alliance with the BJP and they were already talks of the improbable but
08:40possible alliance of the DMK and the AIDMK coming together.
08:44DMK very, very upset as well with the Congress in the manner in which it was dumped by the Congress
08:50and calling the Congress opportunistic backstabbers.
08:54And the Congress was very clear because if at all the smaller parties were not coming in, the Congress was
09:03coming under a lot of criticism because it had left DMK.
09:07However, the smaller parties like VCK and left still were sticking with the DMK.
09:11Where would it have left the Congress if this alliance would not have come together and formed and led to
09:18government formation, completely isolated the Congress at the state political level here.
09:24So, therefore, the Congress needed to act quick and to bridge that gap of communication between TVK, Vijay and the
09:33VCK as well as the two left parties.
09:36It was the Congress that came in themselves and not just the smaller players but directly Malik Arjun Kharge, the
09:43party president who picked up the phone, spoke to VCK and that call was only made after there was a
09:49confirmation that came in from the left that the left was on board.
09:53This is surprisingly, usually one would say the Congress drags its heels and doesn't act quickly.
09:59This is one of those moments that the Congress acted quickly.
10:02They sensed that there could have been an issue, political opportunism at play, closed that window of opportunity for other
10:10players like the AIDMK, you know, also somewhere down the line to stop its own isolation in all of this
10:18and moved in quick,
10:20managed to get the numbers for the TVK and Vijay.
10:23So, what's really happened at the back of that is that Vijay and I want to bring in my colleague,
10:28Sagai Raj, who's joining me, has sent a letter, an email to the governor's office seeking time at 4.30
10:37p.m.
10:38And by the virtue of the movement that we can see right now, right outside the Lok Bhawan, it seems
10:44that request has been accepted.
10:46Over to you, Sagai.
10:47And I can already hear the whistles blowing outside TVK, Vijay's residence.
10:56Absolutely.
10:57We are at Vijay's Patinabakam residence and you can see that large number of supporters and fans of Vijay gathered
11:04outside their house.
11:05And they are waiting for the final announcement and a glimpse of Vijay when he is passing through this particular
11:12place to governor's house.
11:14And you can see that everybody is having whistle and they are waiting from early morning when they got to
11:19know that Vijay is visiting Patinabakam.
11:23What are you doing?
11:45Where are you going?
11:53The network follows Vijay.
11:55Likewise, wherever you go, they all follow him.
11:58No matter whether it is Nilangarai house or Patinabakam or even TVK office.
12:04It is like a festival.
12:05They come there, click a picture and wait for us together to get a glimpse of Vijay.
12:11That is the kind of frenzy crowd that you have here in Tamil Nadu.
12:14And everybody is anticipating.
12:16I just spoke to a few people.
12:17They said that there should be a new government.
12:19They don't want DMK or EADMK.
12:20They want a fresh-faced new government in Tamil Nadu.
12:24And they want their Talabadi, Vijay, to be the chief minister of that new government.
12:36All right, you know, I think that's where all the action is right now, which is right outside Vijay's residence.
12:43In all probability, he should leave soon because he's quite a distance away.
12:48We don't know, though, whether the confirmation from the governor's office, has he been accorded a meeting?
12:53Has his request been accepted just by the virtue of movement here and barricading?
12:58It seems it has been accepted.
13:01But, Anaga, what are you hearing in?
13:03Also, give us the inside details as to how, Anaga, the VCK and the left parties came on board even
13:11before their meeting in which they were going to deliberate.
13:15My sources tell us that the Congress played a crucial role to bridge the gap and to bridge the communication
13:22divide.
13:26That's right. In fact, AICC's chief Malika Arjun Kargay had that phone call with VCK's Tol Thiruma Valavan.
13:33And it's only after that did things actually fall in place.
13:38In fact, VCK was a bit miffed that Vijay's team went in person to invite the Communist Party, but nobody
13:45really went to meet VCK.
13:46So, therefore, that one phone call from Malika Arjun Kargay has really set the tone straight.
13:52You know, it has just smoothened out the relationship.
13:54And that is actually what experience does.
13:57And that is actually the weight of the grand old party Congress can actually add to TVK.
14:02Because, you know, most leaders in TVK are newbies.
14:05Most of them are first-time MLAs.
14:07And with Congress backing TVK, it can really pull off what it has pulled off at the moment.
14:13And as I speak to you, the Communist leaders are having a meeting upstairs.
14:17They are yet to make that formal announcement.
14:20But my sources have already confirmed that the deal is set.
14:23The next chief minister of Tamil Nadu is going to be Joseph C. Vijay.
14:27It's only a matter of time before they all go to meet the governor.
14:30And the governor gives them the permission to take the swearing-in ceremony.
14:37Well, Ananda, even my sources within the Congress tell me the call that Malika Arjun Kargay made to the VCK
14:43happened after the confirmation was given by the left party.
14:47And only then, after both the CPI and CPIM gave their confirmation to the Congress, did Malika Arjun pick up
14:56that phone himself and make that call too.
14:59You know, make that call.
15:00I'll bring in Akshita as well.
15:01Come in, Akshita.
15:02She's been missing out lots of FOMO.
15:04She's been here over the last couple of days.
15:08So, I just want to go to Pramod Madhav Akshita, you know, and get him in as well.
15:13Pramod, finally, it does seem the decks are all cleared.
15:17Sources tell us the Congress was the one that played the go-between, wanted to close that window of opportunity,
15:23especially for other political parties.
15:26Both left and the VCK were deliberating, but the Congress wanted a confirmation today and they have seemingly got one.
15:32Has the governor given time to Vijay?
15:36That's the question now.
15:41Priti, now the TVK team is, like our sources within TVK claim that the governor has given time around 4
15:46.30 p.m. for Vijay to come over.
15:48And even at this time, like, you know, things are in such a manner that VCK has agreed to, I
15:53mean, this is like source-based information.
15:55VCK has agreed to be a part of the government where which one of the MLAs called Vanya RSA could
15:59get a cabinet.
16:00But the CPI and CPM are actually contemplating to give external support also only.
16:04So, like, they are still actually going ahead and thinking about this matter.
16:07And the important aspect here is that, like, the CPI, very importantly, in the CPI meeting, the working committee meeting,
16:13they have got full support.
16:14And CPM's state committee meeting support has been given.
16:17So, only after that, the decision has not been taken, Priti.
16:19So, we are also expecting around 4.30 p.m. for only the final confirmation to be derived because this
16:24needs to go to Delhi once again.
16:26And the final confirmation will have to come from there.
16:28But VCK is completely on board and they are expecting one minister for Vanni Arasapriti.
16:36All right.
16:37So, basically, Pramod, what you're adding is that VCK has also figured out what they will be getting in return
16:44because VCK and the left are practical kingmakers in this.
16:47Even with their meager lot of six, that has practically defined Vijay becoming the chief minister.
16:55So, the VCK, you're saying, is getting one cabinet berth and the left is still mulling whether they want to
17:01give outside support or want to be a part of this coalition.
17:05But net-net, what we can tell our viewers, the suspended animation ends.
17:10Vijay has asked for formal time of 4.30 p.m. from the governor.
17:14The Lok Bhavan right behind me, security detailing all in, barricades being put up.
17:21And it seems his request has been granted, though we are awaiting a confirmation from the governor's office on giving
17:28time to TVK and Vijay.
17:31Now, what made it possible, Pramod, it seems, was not the local leadership of the Congress for the first time.
17:37Some would say, and rightly so, the Congress has always been criticized on being very slow.
17:42But keeping in mind that the TVK was a newbie, they wanted to close the window of opportunity for any
17:48political foul play, they wanted a confirmation today.
17:52And the Congress bridged that gap by playing the go-between, it seems, Pramod.
17:56What are you hearing?
18:00Well, very clearly, Preethi, when we spoke to Girish Srodankar in the morning, Girish very clearly stated that CPM, CPI
18:06and VCK have been protesting and fighting against the RSS and BJP.
18:09And keeping that info in his mind, he also said that people know who is the actual communal force and
18:15who is the people who are actually fighting the secular people.
18:17And he very clearly said that he is very confident that they will come and support for Vijay and that
18:21soon Vijay will become the chief minister.
18:23And today's protest by the Congress was against Governor Arlekar.
18:27And now we are coming to hear that the decision has been made.
18:29However, the important aspect is that, like VCK earlier said, that they have an online meeting by 5 p.m.
18:35today.
18:35And kind of like, probably that could be kind of giving them information or probably informing that such a decision
18:40has been made.
18:41But 5 p.m., the VCK leader earlier said that there is going to be an online meeting for VCK.
18:46So it looks like the first information would might come from the CPI and CPM, whom we are expecting to
18:51hold a press meet by 4.30 p.m., Preeti.
18:57All right, 4.30 p.m. will be a possible official announcement by the left.
19:00The left still mulling right now.
19:02Akshita, I want to bring you in.
19:03My colleague who joins me, you know, Akshita has been tracking developments very closely right outside the Lok Bhavan, the
19:10both of us right now.
19:11Akshita, it seems at least by the security detailing and the governor might have given the go ahead because this
19:20time around, Vijay really does have the numbers.
19:24Both VCK and the left parties on board.
19:31That's right, Preeti.
19:32And I'll show you the security detail.
19:34The entire area barricaded off this police.
19:37More barricades being brought in to stop us, the media, from going closer.
19:41But we're expecting.
19:42Usually you see this kind of movement when Vijay is expected to come here.
19:46And because of the fact that usually immediately you see crowds gather, they ensure all necessary precautions are taken.
19:52We understand that the TVK essentially has sought an appointment for 4.30 p.m.
19:57Now, either that particular meeting could happen at 4.30 or at 6.00 p.m.
20:02We're yet to confirm if the governor has given the time of 4.30 as requested.
20:07But it looks like the decks are cleared now.
20:09You know, all of the permutations, the combinations, the numbers, the tallies that we were kind of adding up and
20:15doing the math, the arithmetic has finally worked out in favor of Vijay.
20:18He's just about touching 118, Preeti.
20:22You can push it to 119 if you consider that one Trichy East seat, in which case 113 plus 6.
20:27But either way, he's just about pushed past the majority mark.
20:30Obviously, you know, on questions of whether this is a stable government, look, that's a test for another day.
20:35Right now, all that he's looking at as far as challenges go is going to the governor, going to Governor
20:41Arlekar and giving him what he wanted,
20:42which is a sheet of paper with 118 signatures.
20:47He's got that now.
20:48And so once that letter seeking support, which was sent across by the TVK to the left and VCK, reaches
20:54him back with the signatures, that's when Vijay will leave.
20:56He's currently at his Patina Pakam residence, which is his office also.
21:00It's right by the Marina Beach.
21:02So he's closer to the city, unlike when he stays in his residence in Nilangare, in which case it would
21:07take him a lot more time.
21:09He's close by.
21:10He's just been on standby waiting for the nod right now.
21:12But, Preeti, we have to also talk about how this has happened.
21:16The VCK and left for the longest time dithered.
21:18They had due process to follow, which is what took a bit of time.
21:21But also the Congress has been instrumental in making these two parties come on board.
21:25Malik Arjun Karge had a conversation with Tol Thirma Valavan, convinced him, told him, why don't you come over?
21:30And that's helped.
21:31So Delhi's played a big role, too, in what's happening right now.
21:37Well, you know, my sources tell me as well, Akshita,
21:40that before Malik Arjun Karge himself picked up the phone and spoke to the VCK,
21:45the Congress already had got a confirmation from both left parties in principle support for TVK.
21:52And only then Malik Arjun Karge spoke to VCK.
21:55The Congress was very clear.
21:57They wanted this to materialize as soon as possible.
22:01And there are multiple reasons.
22:03I want to bring in Congress leader, Nivedit Alwa, who's joining me on the phone line.
22:07Nivedit, thank you for joining us.
22:09Preet, tell us, how did this all happen?
22:11We believe your party, usually criticized for being a little slow,
22:15was very, very quick today to broker this alliance.
22:21Hi, Preeti.
22:22Good afternoon.
22:24No, it's been, it's nothing like that.
22:25This process has been going on since the day that we decided to go ahead and back the single largest
22:33party
22:34with regard to keep in mind the mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu.
22:41And it is a process which has followed due course, first of all.
22:45Second of all, I don't think there was a need for so much uncertainty,
22:51for so much, you know, this whole thing which has happened over the last three, four days,
22:56where, you know, Raj Gaon has been instrumental in creating absolute havoc, I would say,
23:02in Tamil Nadu with, you know, dithering in the way forward.
23:08There was one party which has emerged as the single largest party
23:11and should have been invited to form the government.
23:15The government has to be made or has to fall on the floor of the assembly,
23:19not on the floor of Raj Bhavan.
23:22And what has been happening is that this whole way in which the government,
23:30the governor has been functioning is completely, completely illegal.
23:33And anyway, it's everything seems to be in place now.
23:38Okay.
23:40Well, I just want to get an understanding, Nivedit.
23:42The Congress clearly has played a big role in making this happen,
23:47especially with the left parties, both CPI, CPIM and the VCK.
23:51We had Mr. Malik Arjun Kharge who made the call to the VCK
23:54and word coming in that it was the Congress itself that brokered this alliance
23:58with the left parties practically to close that window of opportunity
24:03for other people to try and cobble up the numbers or other parties.
24:10Preeti, I would not really like to comment much about what all has happened
24:14and how it's happened because let's just focus on the fact that what needed to be done
24:21for the people of Tamil Nadu has been done.
24:23And more importantly, I think if any of these so-called people
24:30who were trying to delay this decision in any way
24:32had actually bothered to step out onto the streets
24:35and speak to anyone they meet as to what should be the way forward in Tamil Nadu,
24:40maybe then some common sense would have prevailed faster
24:44because there is a clear mandate, there is a clear wave of change,
24:48there is a clear idea that the people of Tamil Nadu put forward
24:52and it is sad that it took so much time and it took so many days
24:57for people to keep trying to put roadblocks on the way
25:01and keep trying to find a way to hoodwink the system.
25:05In fact, it almost looked at a certain point of time
25:08that the governor was working towards, you know,
25:11maybe thinking of swearing in the loan BJP, MLA, SCM
25:17and giving him five years to prove his majority.
25:19So I'm glad that the constitution has prevailed
25:24and that the road ahead now seems in going with what should be.
25:32All right, well, good luck, Nivedi Talwar.
25:34Thank you for joining us and giving out your views.
25:38Well, for the Congress viewers, it was also very important
25:40because if this hadn't gone through,
25:43if this alliance hadn't gone through in terms of fruition into governance,
25:47then the Congress itself would have gotten deeply isolated.
25:51Smaller parties seemingly stuck with the DMK
25:54and the Congress walking out yet not being able to form government.
25:58That would have isolated the party.
25:59So another reason why the Congress had to move in for the kill immediately
26:04and they quite did so in trying to convince the smaller parties
26:07like CPI, CPI and VCK to come in.
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