Chennai: People’s Welfare Front (PWF) has started fanning out emissaries to woo potential allies for the 2016 Assembly polls. Shortly after stating its political plans and publicly sending invitations to G.K. Vasan’s TMC and Vijayakanth’s DMDK, a Left party delegation had approached Vasan to dissuade him from joining the AIADMK front.
CPM state secretary G. Ramakrishnan and party’s Rajya Sabha MP T.K. Rangarajan had a “frank chat” with Vasan at the latter’s Alwarpet residence here last week.
The comrades are understood to have persuaded Vasan to join the PWF at a time when it is amply clear that the TMC is gravitating towards the AIADMK.
When contacted, Rangarajan admitted to meeting Vasan, and told Deccan Chronicle, “We had a detailed and frank chat on the prevailing political situation in Tamil Nadu. We explained the necessity to form an alliance without the DMK and AIADMK. We said the PWF would emerge as a strong and winnable alliance if the TMC and DMDK joined them.”
“He (Vasan) was very receptive, but he never stated his intentions. He said he will consult his party men on the issue,” Rangarajan added, conceding that they were also talking to DMDK leader Vijayakanth.
Meanwhile, TMC insiders privy to the development, revealed that their leader sidestepped the issue by thanking the PWF delegation for extending an invitation to the party. A senior TMC leader, who confirmed that a senior CPI leader had also spoken over phone to Vasan last week, said they are keen on joining the AIADMK, as it would be a more viable option than the PWF.
AIADMK more viable option
“It is unsure if the PWF will stay in tact even. There is no guarantee that one of the PWF constituents would not fall for one of Dravidian parties lucrative offer close to the polls? Even if they stay together, it is unsure if the combination would be arithmetically successful. It is a risk. Our (TMC) interest will be best served only if we join the AIADMK and get a decent representation in the Assembly,” the senior TMC leader reasoned, also adding that they will gladly support Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK if they are given 24 seats or 10 per cent of the total seats, which is mandatory for them to contest in their own bicycle symbol.
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