VCK decides to join Vijay''s cabinet, nominate Vanni Arasu: Thirumavalavan

The VCK party, led by Thol Thirumavalan, has decided to join the TVK-led cabinet in Tamil Nadu, with Vanni Arasu set to be inducted as a minister.

VCK chief Thol Thirumavalan on Thursday said that his party decided to join the TVK-led cabinet in Tamil Nadu, and his party legislator Vanni Arasu will be nominated for induction.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Thirumavalavan announced that the decision was taken after knowing the views of his party officebearers, and there was an overwhelming support for the idea of joining the government.

VCK party enjoys predominantly Dalit support, and it has been a long-time ally of DMK. The party contested in eight seats in the just-concluded Assembly polls as part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance and won in two seats. Vanni Arasu represents the Tindivanam constituency.

Soon after the election, as no party enjoyed a clear majority to form the government, VCK decided to extend outside support to TVK to form the government, while remaining in the DMK-led alliance, stating that the decision was taken to prevent the state from going into President's rule due to political inconclusiveness.

Thirumavalavan said the decision to join the cabinet follows an open invitation from TVK to both the VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

''We have initially submitted a letter of support and confirmed to the press that we would support the government from the outside. However, our party cadres and office-bearers repeatedly insisted on cabinet participation. While we did not immediately review our stance, an open invitation subsequently arrived from the TVK leadership, from Aadhav Arjuna, prompting us to reconsider,'' Thirumavalavan said.

During a high-level committee's virtual meeting held on May 8, which saw the participation of 32 top leaders, a majority had strongly advocated for cabinet representation. While the high-level body ultimately authorised the party chief to make the final call, subsequent deliberations with general secretaries Sinthanai Selvan and D Ravikumar on the May 9 morning led to a decision to provide unconditional support from the outside, Thirumavalavan added.

He emphasised that sharing power has been a foundational pillar of its political philosophy since it entered electoral politics in 1999.

He also underscored that it was the first political movement in Tamil Nadu to advocate for the principle of ''Aatchiyilum Pangu, Adhigarathilum Pangu'' (a share in governance and a share in power).

When reporters asked about VCK's current position with regard to the DMK-led alliance, and whether it has formally exited that alliance, Thirumavalavan did not answer.

''Today, we are only making the announcement regarding our decision to join the cabinet. We will discuss all other matters comprehensively in the coming days,'' the VCK chief stated, adding that an official press meeting would be convened shortly to address those questions.