Mayiladuthurai, Sept 11:
Revenue Minister K A Sengottaiyan on Friday said more political parties would join the Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance led by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), indicating that the ruling front could expand further in the coming days.
Sengottaiyan was in Mayiladuthurai to participate in various government programmes when he spoke to reporters.
Asked whether the Communist parties would join the alliance, Sengottaiyan replied, “Wait and watch.” He added that several more parties were expected to join the alliance.
Reacting to DMK leader R S Bharathi’s statement that the Tamil Nadu government would collapse in January, Sengottaiyan said there was no question of the government losing power.
“As long as Thalapathy, who has brought a new change to Tamil Nadu, is there, he will remain the permanent Chief Minister. The days are not being counted for this government, as R S Bharathi claims. It is the DMK that should be counting its days,” he said.
On the upcoming Assembly by-elections in Tamil Nadu, Sengottaiyan expressed confidence that the alliance would achieve a 100 per cent victory.
His remarks come ahead of the October 6 bypolls to the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies, which are being viewed as an early electoral test for the TVK-led alliance.
On complaints about continuing power cuts in parts of the State, Sengottaiyan said the government had taken steps to address the issue.
“We are holding discussions with various power producers. Power generation will increase soon,” he said, adding that necessary arrangements were being made to resolve the problem.
Asked about criticism from the DMK over Chief Minister Vijay’s body language, Sengottaiyan strongly hit back at the Opposition party.
He recalled the ruckus in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2017, when DMK legislators were involved in a confrontation inside the Speaker’s chamber.
“Everyone knows the unruly behaviour of DMK MLAs in 2017, when they pulled a chair and pushed it down in then Speaker Dhanapal’s room. Therefore, the DMK has no moral right to speak about such matters,” Sengottaiyan said.
His remarks come amid an escalating political confrontation between the ruling TVK and the DMK, with both sides stepping up attacks ahead of the by-elections and the broader electoral contest.