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Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) principal secretary and Trichy MP Durai Vaiko on Monday, June 1, said the party's general council meeting on June 27 will decide whether it will continue in the Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Secular Progressive Alliance.
Speaking to reporters after receiving Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay at Trichy airport, Durai Vaiko also defended All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) legislators who resigned their seats to join the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), calling it a democratic right and rejecting allegations of horse trading.
"Every MLA has the right to leave a party and join another if they disagree with its decisions," he said, dismissing claims that the defections were engineered to weaken the AIADMK.
Durai Vaiko clarified that the MDMK remains part of the DMK alliance for now. He said the party's general council, its highest decision-making body, would deliberate on key political issues, including seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming Assembly election, the party's recent political decisions, and the Karnataka government's proposed Mekedatu dam project.
Responding to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami's allegation that the defections were aimed at breaking the AIADMK, Durai Vaiko rejected the charge. He said such political shifts have occurred across parties over the years and remarked that "people living in glass houses should not throw stones."
On the law and order situation, Vaiko acknowledged that there had been incidents of crime under the current government. But he pointed out that the accused had been arrested and FIRs had been registered.
The MDMK’s June 27 general council meeting has drawn significant attention. The meeting is set to determine which direction the party will take in the coming months.
This article was written by a student interning with TNM