- 2 days ago
The new Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has initiated an outreach to opposition leaders on his first day in office, ahead of a floor test in the state assembly. The Chief Minister visited the residences of the former Chief Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and other political rivals to exchange greetings. This gesture marks a departure from the traditional political rivalries in the state. Meanwhile, the assembly session witnessed a split within the AIADMK, with two separate factions arriving independently for the oath-taking ceremony. A majority of the party's legislators are reportedly backing a new legislative party head, demanding the current general secretary step down. In other news, the Prime Minister has urged citizens to reduce fuel consumption and avoid purchasing gold for a year to save foreign exchange amid the escalating war in West Asia. Additionally, suspense continues over the selection of the new Chief Minister in neighbouring Kerala.
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00:00Hello and welcome, good evening. You're watching Super 6 here on India Today.
00:03I'm Akshita Nanda Gopal back in the studios after what's been an energetic last few days in Chennai
00:11and of course eventful. But we're going to focus on what's happening in Tamil Nadu.
00:16I may be back in the studio but our eyes are firmly on what's happening in the state.
00:20Day 1 of Vijay as Chief Minister and on the show this evening we're going to be focusing on his
00:26big opposition outreach.
00:28You had Vijay right after attending the Assembly, taking oath in the Assembly as a member of the Legislative Assembly.
00:36You had him reaching out, meeting Stalin, meeting Anbumani Ramados, meeting Vaiko, meeting Seaman.
00:42And we've never seen anything like it in Tamil Nadu politics. I'll explain to you why.
00:46But also coming up on the show, the other big story we're talking about is what's happening in neighbouring Kerala
00:52where days on there's still no clarity on who will be Chief Minister.
00:57With every faction now fighting it out, it remains to be seen who the Congress High Command will actually go
01:04with.
01:04So lots lined up for you on the show, whether it's from Tamil Nadu or the state of Kerala.
01:09We begin as always with the headlines.
01:15Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay's big outreach to opposition ahead of floor test meets former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin,
01:22Leader of Opposition Uday Nidi Stalin. Vijay also visits chiefs of MD, MK, PMK and NTK.
01:33After CPI, another ally, another TVK ally attacks Vijay government.
01:39VCK seeks explanation on Tamar Anthem sung last during oath ceremony.
01:44TVK's Adhavarjana pins blame on Governor vows to play Tamar Anthem first always.
01:53Massive split in AIA-DMK after Tamil Nadu poll drought.
01:58EPS and SP Vailumani factions arrive in assembly separately.
02:03AIA-DMK's sources say four defeats have hit party morale.
02:06Shanmugam and Vailumani camp want EPS to quit as General Secretary.
02:16Shubindu government's big move to secure borders transfers land for border fencing to BSF,
02:22which was earlier allegedly blocked by Mamata government.
02:25Chief Minister Shubindu says land transfer process to be finished in 45 days as promised.
02:35Amid escalating West Asia war, Prime Minister Modi's big clarion call to Indians
02:41urges to curb fuel consumption says must save foreign exchange spent on purchasing petrol and diesel
02:47also appeals to not purchase gold for a year.
03:17Shubindu, Shubindu, Shubindu, Shubindu.
03:20India Today's Geeta Mohan reporting from Tehran speaks exclusively with Iran
03:25Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghai says Iran won't agree to US's unjust demands.
03:46Vijay, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has now set out on a big outreach to opposition leaders in Tamil Nadu.
03:53The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on day one of taking charge met with former Chief Minister's predecessor M.K.Stalin,
04:00also with the leader of opposition Udayniti Stalin.
04:03The meeting happened at Stalin's residence.
04:06Vijay didn't stop there.
04:07He also met with VCK Chief Vaiko, PMK Chief Anbumani Ramados, NTK Chief Seeman as well.
04:14So an outreach by Vijay to each of these political party leaders.
04:18And what we're seeing is images.
04:21Let's put out the images of Stalin first.
04:23In fact, Vijay was seen meeting him right after which he also met with all of these other leaders.
04:30Those are the images there of the warm hug that was exchanged between Stalin and Chief Minister Vijay.
04:37This was at Stalin's residence.
04:38Remember, considering Stalin is lost in the election, he wasn't in the assembly.
04:43And so Vijay to the time out to meet him.
04:46And there you see also meeting Vaiko, Anbumani Ramados and Seeman.
04:50Pramod Madhav is joining us live from Chennai with more details on this.
04:54Pramod, good evening.
04:55These images are unprecedented.
04:56You know, I don't, I can't remember the last time I've seen a Chief Minister,
05:00Wisting's predecessor, seeking seemingly their advice, blessings.
05:04I don't know what, but a goodwill gesture nonetheless.
05:10Good evening, Akshita.
05:11It absolutely is unprecedented.
05:13In fact, like, you know, you can't even think of Jalda or, you know, Karnaluddin not even shaking their hands.
05:19It's the same kind of thing happening between Edapad Kepaniswamy and M.K. Stalin.
05:22But right now, there are images of them hugging.
05:24There is an image of the former Chief Minister holding the hand of the present Chief Minister.
05:29So it looks like Tamil Nadu wants to go, move towards a cordial way, Akshita.
05:34So this is, these kind of pictures and these kind of gestures are going to go a long way.
05:38And it's very evidenced this way.
05:40Okay, I also bring in Anagar Keshav, who's joining us live from Chennai.
05:43Anagar, do we then connect this to the floor test that's coming up in two days?
05:49Do we have any details of really what was discussed in these meetings,
05:52particularly between Chief Minister Vijay and former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin?
05:57I think everyone's curious to know what was discussed in that meeting.
06:01Was there a mention of the floor test and perhaps seeking support from these parties
06:04to ensure that he gets those numbers?
06:10So today's meeting of Chief Minister Vijay with Stalin and Udayinidi Stalin,
06:16you know, it was more of a courtesy meeting.
06:18There was no direct mention of a floor, you know, a floor test that's going to happen on Wednesday.
06:23There was congratulations that was exchanged.
06:26In fact, when Vijay walked in, it was Udayinidi Stalin who first so warmly greeted him,
06:31hugged him and then later presented him with the book.
06:33And then later he went on and also hugged the former Chief Minister Stalin.
06:37The last time we saw that kind of camaraderie in Tamil Nadu was when Anna Durey was there.
06:42You know, we could see some visuals on the internet of Anna Durey and Kamarajan
06:46sitting with each other, you know, with all smiles.
06:49But after that, we missed out on that kind of gentlemanly politics in Tamil Nadu.
06:55In Tamil Nadu, the top leaders, ADMK leaders and DMK leaders,
06:58they see each other as people, you know, as enemies, not just as political arch rivals.
07:03You know, the portrayal was that they couldn't stand each other.
07:06But now, Akshita, it's a new precedent, some kind of a gentlemanly politics
07:10that we are witnessing at the moment.
07:12And we really hope this kind of grace continues in the long run.
07:16Today has been a day full of success for Vijay.
07:19He also went ahead and met NTK Seeman, who hasn't won even one legislative seat.
07:24And that just shows that he treats all of his opposition leaders and all of his political rivals equally.
07:31There is no arrogance of sort.
07:33There is no drunk on power yet.
07:34And we really hope that this kind of grace still continues.
07:37And we can connect this kind of courtesy meeting to what's going to happen on Wednesday.
07:42Because Wednesday's decision on the floor of the Assembly is going to be a make or break deal for Vijay.
07:48So, we could possibly connect to that because, you know, it is still some sort of a shaky government
07:53that he has become a chief minister with the support of opposition parties.
07:57So, he does want to be in the good books of the opposition leaders as well.
08:01No, you're right.
08:02The first 24 hours, he's definitely hit it out of the park as far as the optics are concerned.
08:06He sent out the right message.
08:08Maybe the lack of political experience is actually helping.
08:11Because then you're seeing these kind of gestures that normal politicians would never actually do.
08:16Thanks very much, Pramod and Anagar, for joining us with all of those details.
08:21We've not seen anything like this in decades in Tamil Nadu politics.
08:26Vijay, on his first day as chief minister, made a statesman-like outreach.
08:31Right after his swearing in at the secretariat, he visited former chief minister Stalin's residence.
08:37It was a goodwill gesture.
08:38And there's a reason I'm calling this historic.
08:40No other chief minister has ever done this in Tamil Nadu since the 1960s.
08:46That's when we've last seen this kind of camaraderie and this kind of a gesture.
08:51Vijay has kicked off his tenure, clearly with that move that's won hearts.
08:56Stalin lost in Kolatur, therefore isn't in the assembly.
08:59But he said that when he met with Vijay, he gave him his advice.
09:03And the warmth between the two leaders is heartwarming to see.
09:06Between the hugs, the handshakes between Stalin and Vijay and even Uday Nidhi was a wonderful message of respect and
09:13goodwill.
09:13And it wasn't just DMK chief Stalin.
09:16Chief minister Vijay then visited MDMK chief Vaiko.
09:21PMK chief, Ambumani Ramados.
09:23NTK chief, Seaman.
09:24Political rivals.
09:25So he started off his term as chief minister with a message that we may be political opponents, we may
09:31be political rivals,
09:32but ultimately we're all working towards the betterment of Tamil Nadu.
09:37Differences, maybe fights in the assembly, all of that aside, chief minister Vijay's gesture has definitely started off his term
09:44on a very, very positive note.
09:50But day one, as chief minister of the state, kicked off on the same day as the assembly session where
09:56you had everyone taking oath as the MLAs.
09:59And so all eyes were, in fact, on the assembly and what would play out.
10:04While the formalities were ironed out of the oath taking, now Vijay has to ensure he gets the numbers because
10:10the floor test is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
10:13Tomorrow is the speaker's election, widely seen as the first major test of strength for this fledgling TVK government.
10:33It is a new chapter in Tamil Nadu politics.
10:36The assembly convened for its first session and the newly elected MLAs to court.
10:44Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, who was sworn in as chief minister just yesterday, took oath as MLA from Perhambur
10:52constituency.
11:06Kamiladu LOP Uddeniti Stalin also took oath as an MLA, but there was no eye contact between the leader of
11:14opposition and chief minister Vijay.
11:21However, later during a curtsy meet, Vijay was warmly greeted by Stalin and Uddeniti at their residence.
11:32Tamil Nadu ministers and Anand, Adhavarjuna, Dr. K.G. Arunraj and K.A. Sangotian took oath as members of the
11:40legislative assembly.
11:43However, there were some exceptions.
11:46Tamil Nadu minister S. Kirtana could not take oath as an MLA in the assembly after failing to present her
11:52certificate of election,
11:54a mandatory requirement for the swearing-in process.
11:59While there was Stalin family Vijay Bonhami,
12:03the assembly session, however, exposed fresh cracks within AI-ADMK.
12:10In a dramatic sign of the widening divide, two separate AI-ADMK groups reportedly arrived independently at the assembly for
12:19the oath-taking ceremony.
12:21One led by EPS and the other by Vailumani,
12:24Shanmugam, Vijay Bhaskara faction, who backed alliance with Vijay.
12:30A section of her MLA's and former ministers is now openly demanding that party chief EPS should step down.
12:39But sources say EPS is in no mood to resign.
12:58Another MLA hogging the limelight was AI-ADMK's Pundruthi, MLA-K Mohan, who broke down while taking oath,
13:06remembering late AI-ADMK supremo, Jai Jai Lalita.
13:15Another moment that got attention outside the assembly,
13:19DMD case Primalata Vijaykant was seen touching the steps of the Tamil Nadu assembly before entering the premises.
13:28All eyes are now on TVK's slow test to prove majority next.
13:33Bureau Report, India Today.
13:39Okay, let me bring in on this broadcast Sumansi Raman, political analyst and Lata Sridivasan, senior journalist.
13:45Good evening, wanna come to both of you.
13:47Mr. Sumansi Raman, I'd like to begin with you.
13:49What do you make of the first 24 hours of Vijay as chief minister?
13:53Making all the right moves at least, as far as the headlines go.
13:56He seems to have grabbed all the headlines with his meeting with Stalin,
14:00the hug with Uday Nidhi and so much more.
14:03Yeah, I think, Akshita, definitely it's a welcome gesture.
14:07You know, in Tamil Nadu, we are so used to seeing this battle where, you know,
14:12AIADMK and DMK leaders will not even attend each other's family weddings.
14:17You know, to that extent, if you were seen in a family wedding of a rival party,
14:21then you could lose your party post.
14:23You know, so, to that extent, it was a kind of a vituperative atmosphere.
14:28That has changed now.
14:30And it's a good thing.
14:32I'm just waiting to see if Vijay will also meet the leader of the AIADMK,
14:37you know, Mr. Yadapadi Parni Swami or any other senior AIADMK leader.
14:41I think the conundrum there is, who does he meet?
14:44You know, looking at all that's happening, who does he meet?
14:47No, Akshita, technically, as of this moment, Mr. Yadapadi Parni Swami,
14:51the former chief minister, is also the general secretary of the AIADMK,
14:55he's not been removed yet, though that seems imminent that he may step down.
14:58But that's not happened yet.
15:00So, clearly, if he's, you know, the fact that he's meeting almost everybody from the DMK alliance,
15:07the only two exceptions are Anbhumani Ramadas from the NDA and Seeman from the NTK.
15:13So, the others, why he would choose to avoid,
15:17okay, I can understand he wants to avoid meeting anybody from the BJP,
15:21but would he want to avoid meeting AIADMK also is a big question.
15:26So, we'll have to wait for that.
15:28But, honestly, this is a gracious gesture.
15:31I mean, it takes the heat off.
15:33In fact, this morning, there was a lot of talk that Udenidi and he did not greet each other in
15:37the assembly
15:38when Udenidi was taking the oath.
15:39That became a talking point.
15:41But two hours, three hours later, they were hugging each other when he visited Udenidi's house.
15:45So, good gesture.
15:48I would not read too much into it beyond being a gracious move.
15:54So, we need to wait and see how the, how, I mean, there will be those who also say it.
16:00So, sort of thank you for Mr. Stalin having sent all his allies to support this government.
16:06No, but he's gone beyond that.
16:07Like you've pointed out, Mr. Subhansi Raman, he's also visited Anbhumani Ramadas, he's visited Seeman.
16:12So, I think there's also a message here that, you know, politics doesn't have to be bitter.
16:17On the floor of the assembly, we can all fight it out.
16:19But, otherwise, we have that respect and that mutual admiration for each other, maybe.
16:24Because, going by what Mr. Vaiko at least said, he says Vijay praised him and said he's a big fan.
16:29But, I'll bring in Lata Sridivasan also on this.
16:31Lata, one of the big highlights today, while, you know, all these pictures came in,
16:36was that hug between Vijay and Uday Nidhi, which was great to see because there's been so much talk
16:41about, you know, how the two don't get along, how they were good friends turned foes in the film industry
16:46itself
16:47back when Uday Nidhi was also an actor.
16:50And so, it's good to see that they seem to have put that behind them.
16:54Yeah, absolutely, Akshita, you know, there was a lot of talk, like Suman said, this morning
17:00when Uday Nidhi was taking out as MLA.
17:03And, you know, there was absolutely no eye contact between Vijay and Uday.
17:06And everybody was wondering whether the rivalry is now going to spill over, you know, into politics
17:12and as the leader of the opposition.
17:15So, but it's great to see that when Vijay visited, you know, Mr. M.K. Stalin's house,
17:21Uday was the one to receive him and really hug him, you know, along with M.K. Stalin,
17:26who took him by the hand into his home.
17:28That was very sweet.
17:30It was really very sweet to watch.
17:31And I think while things may not have thought between them politically,
17:36at least, you know, they made the effort today a step in the right direction is what I would say.
17:41Okay.
17:42Let's, you know, talk about Vijay's performance.
17:45Though it's very, very early, anyone you ask, they say you have to give him six months
17:50to see really how he performs.
17:52But Mr. Sumansi Raman, I would like your view on, you know,
17:55the fact that you already had Vijay kind of pick some of the officers that he wants to work with,
18:00whether it's Dr. Senthul Kumar or Lakshmi Priya.
18:03You know, everyone's been saying that these are good choices,
18:06that the first steps he's taken definitely seems to be in the right direction.
18:12I'd wait to see his pick of top police officers, who he appoints as the DGP of the state,
18:18who he appoints as the chief secretary.
18:19Is he going to continue?
18:21See, Sai Kumar, the present chief secretary, is known to be a very good officer.
18:25But unfortunately, he has only three months left.
18:27He retires in the end of August.
18:29And the state has been functioning without a proper DGP for a very long time until the election commission stepped
18:35in.
18:35And so I think, you know, it's going to be, for me, more than the CM secretaries.
18:42I think who would be the chief secretary, who would be the DGP of police,
18:46who would be the, you know, person in charge of law and order in the state.
18:51I think those would be bigger indications of which way, you know, which way this government will go.
18:57Also, you know, we all know in Tamil Nadu, there are good bureaucrats and there are politicized bureaucrats who are,
19:05you know, who can taint a government.
19:08Unfortunately, one of the places where Mr. Stalin lost his way was that he did not act firmly against errant
19:15bureaucrats.
19:16And the feeling was the government itself was being run by the bureaucrats and the police officers, independent of the
19:21political, you know, leadership.
19:24So whether Vijay being inexperienced, he would naturally have to rely heavily on the bureaucracy and the police to sort
19:32of get his administration cracking.
19:35So, again, those choices to me become extremely important.
19:38Sendhil, yes, I think Sendhil is known to be a good officer.
19:43I don't know much about the lady who's been appointed there.
19:47There are varying reports about her.
19:49But I think the question of the chief secretary and the DGP will be far more important.
19:56DGP law and order, DGP intelligence, all these are key posts which will determine which way this government will go.
20:05So the next few days we'll know.
20:06And you're right, you know, the reason I ask this question is because you look at any of the successful
20:11former chief ministers of Tamil Nadu.
20:13They had a very robust bureaucratic team with them that would work around the clock and ensure that work gets
20:19done.
20:19Jailalita, for example, was very, very firm on exactly who were her right-hand men, women, who were the bureaucrats
20:25who would serve under her.
20:27But also, Mr. Sumansi Raman, before I take forward the next question to Lata, on the floor test, do you
20:33think there could be any surprises?
20:35Because it definitely looks like, considering that it's just two days away and all of these goodwill gestures have happened,
20:40it could be and it will be smooth sailing for Vijay.
20:43Do you agree?
20:44Logically, it should be, you know, it should be extremely easy.
20:49I would not be even surprised if some of the opposition legislators don't turn up or absent themselves,
20:54making it easier for the government to clear the floor test.
21:00So right now, anybody who brings down this government will face the wrath of the public.
21:07That is very clear.
21:08So I don't think anybody in Tamil Nadu wants this government to fail now.
21:13At least for six months, we will have to give Vijay a chance.
21:17Mr. Stalin himself mentioned six months.
21:19You remember that, Akshita?
21:20Yeah.
21:21So six months is what I see as the minimum time frame by which we can take a call in
21:27terms of how well this government is going to govern.
21:30But you will get the indications early on.
21:33I would expect these indications to be seen in the next, you know, next couple of weeks itself in terms
21:39of are there going to be changes in, say, TASMAC, in the electricity board.
21:45So, for instance, I'll give you an example.
21:46In the Supreme Court today, the previous government had the Tangent Co actually go on appeal against an order of
21:54the Madras High Court,
21:55which asked for a CBI inquiry into a transformer scam case, 379 crore.
21:59So, fortunately, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition.
22:03But these are the kind of things where one wants to see Vijay call the chief secretary and say, what
22:09is this?
22:09Why are we appealing this kind of thing?
22:11The previous government did it, of course, not his government.
22:13But the point is, these are things which will give us a clue.
22:18And these are issues maybe that he has to really crack down on.
22:21Lata Sridhivasan, if you look at, you know, the demeanor of Vijay, he's known to be a soft-spoken, very
22:26introverted.
22:27And that's always the question that comes up.
22:29You know, that while sure he's calm, always seemingly in control, will he be able to kind of take the
22:35bull by its horns,
22:36which you need to do as a chief minister, as a leader of a state?
22:39You've interacted with him closely.
22:40Do you think he's capable of that?
22:43Akshita, absolutely.
22:44Because one of the things that people who work with him closely, who are around him, you know, nearly 24
22:50by 7,
22:50will tell you that he's a very decisive person.
22:52He may take time to make decisions, but he's, you know, he sticks to his decisions, and he's not easily
22:58swayed.
22:59Like, he thinks through it and then decides.
23:01So, it's not like, you know, somebody tells him something and he's going to come and parrot it.
23:06He is very sure of whatever decision he takes and what he wants to do.
23:10So, I think he will be a decisive leader.
23:13He just needs a little bit of time to settle in, because this is the first time, you know, he's
23:18a CM, he's a politician,
23:19he's going to be an administrator. So, there are so many responsibilities he's been given on, you know, at a
23:24single shot.
23:25So, he needs a month or two to settle down, but I think he'll be very firm in his decision
23:30making.
23:31Okay. All right. Lata Srinivasan, Mr. Sumansi Raman, I appreciate you taking the time out and joining us here on
23:36Super 6.
23:37Let's wait and see. Wednesday is the floor test. That's one challenge. Tomorrow is the speaker's test.
23:41So, a lot that's happening for Vijay. He's going to have to prove himself on every front.
23:46But like I said, first 24 hours, he definitely seems to be sending out the right message.
23:51But it was also day one of the Tamil Nadu Assembly session. Here are those highlights.
23:57Vijay is sworn in as a member of the Legislative Assembly during the Assembly proceedings today.
24:06Vijay's Cabinet colleagues and several senior political leaders,
24:09including Adhavarjuna, Sitya, Nirmal Kumar, also took oath as MLAs.
24:16DMK's Legislative Party leader, former Deputy Chief Minister Udenadi Stalin,
24:20took oath as an MLA in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
24:23He will now be leader of opposition.
24:25Udenadi's arrival also drew attention,
24:28as there was clearly no greeting that took place between Udenadi and Vijay in the Assembly.
24:34Later, of course, they hugged it out.
24:38Senior AIA-DMK leaders, including Edhapadi Parniswami, were among those sworn in as MLAs.
24:47Tamil Nadu Minister S. Kirtana could not take oath as an MLA in the Assembly
24:51after failing to present her certificate of election, a mandatory requirement.
24:55She reportedly forgot it at home.
24:59In a moment that caught the attention outside the Assembly,
25:03Premalata Vijaykant was seen touching the steps of the Tamil Nadu Assembly before entering.
25:10And even when Premalata Vijaykant took oath,
25:13she was seen approaching Vijay and immediately,
25:16Chief Minister Vijay folded his hands and paid his respects.
25:23Kolator MLA, the giant slayer, VK Babu,
25:26also shared a warm moment with Chief Minister Vijay,
25:29embracing him and expressing his affection before taking oath.
25:35AIA-DMK's Punduti MLAK, Mohan broke down while taking oath,
25:39remembering late AIA-DMK Supremo Jai Jai Lalita.
25:45And another moment that's going viral,
25:47this is in Vaiko's residence,
25:49where the staff members in his house
25:51expressed their support for the whistle,
25:53saying they all voted for Vijay.
25:55One of them also went ahead and sought his blessings,
25:58and Vijay responded in kind.
26:01AIA-DMK.
26:02AIA-DMK.
26:13Let's get you the latest updates of what's happening within the AIA-DMK
26:16that seems to be headed for a split.
26:19Reportedly, 30 MLAs are now with the CV Shonmugam SP Vailumani camp,
26:25and they've also met with the pro-tem speaker.
26:27There's now a fight over who should be leading the AIA-DMK in the assembly.
26:32On one side, you've got 30 MLAs, only 17 therefore, with EPS.
26:37So the majority is actually with SP Vailumani.
26:40And the SP Vailumani, CV Shonmugam and Vijay Bhaskar,
26:43they are the ones who are leading this grouping.
26:45But the signatures were handed over with a petition
26:49to make SP Vailumani as the legislative party head.
26:52So 17 MLAs had met earlier with the pro-tem speaker
26:55in support of EPS.
26:57For him to be made the legislative assembly head of the AIA-DMK,
27:0030 are wanting SP Vailumani.
27:03As far as the numbers go, clearly not in favor of EPS.
27:26So EPS saying it's not true at all,
27:28but the pictures are there right on your screens.
27:30Pramod Madhav is joining us live with more details on this.
27:32Pramod, 30 with the SP Vailumani, CV Shonmugam camp,
27:3617 with EPS.
27:37It clearly doesn't add up.
27:39Majority is with the other faction, not with EPS anymore.
27:42But for a merger, two-third means 32, not 30.
27:49It really is, Akshita.
27:51And very clearly, this is also one of India's early news breaks.
27:54Almost on the 5th itself, this started and we started reporting on this,
27:57especially after CV Shonmugam brought in SP Vailumani
28:00and Vijay Bhaskar to his office.
28:02And there, they started discussing about certain issues.
28:04And 25 of these MLAs went immediately to Pudicherry,
28:07where they were there.
28:08Then EPS tried to bring in and they had a lot of communications and talks.
28:10But finally, it looks like things have taken
28:12in a completely different turn right now
28:14because this battle is about who is going to become
28:17the legislative party head,
28:19which means it will actually transcribe
28:20to becoming the general secretary of the party in the future.
28:23It looks like SP Vailumani is having an upper hand over here.
28:25SP Vailumani team claims they have 30 MLAs,
28:28while EPS team claims they have 24.
28:30However, with OS Manian, only 17 had gone earlier
28:33and they gave the letter to the protem speaker
28:36requesting him to make EPS as the legislative head of AIDMK.
28:40Okay, just two hours after that, now we see SP Vailumani
28:43and the MR, SP Vailumani, Vijay Bhaskar and CV Sharmugam
28:47leading another group going over and meeting the protem speaker now, Akshita.
28:51Are they, just quickly, Pramod, what do they want?
28:54You know, does this group, yes, they want SP Vailumani
28:56to be the leader of the AIDMK in the assembly,
28:59but do they want to extend support to the TVK?
29:06But, Akshita, first and foremost, this is the issue
29:08and they need to first take care of it.
29:10Only then they can go ahead with the other voting centers.
29:12Tomorrow we have the speaker vote,
29:13but it looks like definitely TVK is going to win over there
29:15because CPM, CPI, IU, ML are definitely clear.
29:18They made it very clear.
29:19They do not want any kind of constitution prices.
29:21It looks like DMK is also going to take this stance only
29:24because we just spoke to our sources.
29:25Within DMK also, they made it very clear.
29:27And this gesture, greater gesture by CM Vijay
29:30also is going to speak a lot tomorrow, Akshita.
29:32All right, thanks very much, Pramod,
29:33for getting us all of those details.
29:35It will be interesting to see what plays out
29:36within the AIA-DMK in the coming days.
29:39Looks like a split is imminent
29:40and that it could be SP Vailumani
29:42who survives that particular split over EPS.
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