Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 9: The five party alliance ruling Tamil Nadu led by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has named itself the “Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance (SSJVA).”
The decision on the official name of the alliance was taken at a meeting of the senior leaders of all the five member parties held at the TVK headquarters in Panaiyur, Chennai on Wednesday. Besides the TVK, the other members of the alliance are the Congress, Thol Thirumavalavan’s Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Vaiko’s Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). The meeting was attended by senior representatives of the constituent parties.
From the Congress, the meeting was attended by Manickam Tagore, Tharagai Kathbert and Praveen Chakravarty. VCK was represented by its chief Thol Thirumavalavan along with Vanni Arasu, Ravi Kumar and Sindhanai Selvan. MDMK leader Vaiko attended the meeting along with Durai Vaiko, while the IUML was represented by K M Kader Mohideen and Shahjahan.
The alliance brings together parties with a focus on secularism and social justice and is expected to play a significant role in the political contest in Tamil Nadu while distancing itself from both the original Dravidian parties of the DMK and AIADMK.
Notably absent from the meeting were representatives of the Left parties. Both the CPI(M) and the CPI chose to skip the meeting. The CPI(M) has previously made it clear that its support for a TVK-led government would remain issue-based and from outside the government. The party has preferred to keep its distance from a formal alliance arrangement and has also ruled out seeking cabinet representation.
On Tuesday, CPI(M) leader P Shanmugam clarified that the party’s decision to extend issue-based support from outside the government was aimed at ensuring the stability of a TVK-led government in the Assembly.
The party was unwilling to join a formal alliance structure intended to lay the groundwork for future local body and 2029 Lok Sabha electoral arrangements without being offered cabinet representation. The party also wanted to preserve its independent political identity and retain the freedom to criticise the government’s policies on labour, agriculture and other public issues.
Recently, Left leaders met Chief Minister Vijay separately and submitted a memorandum highlighting workers’ grievances, the Cauvery water dispute and concerns related to the state budget.
Meanwhile, ending the uncertainty over location of the proposed new complex to house the Tamil Nadu government headquarters, the state government on Wednesday on Wednesday issued an order giving in-principle approval for initiating the process for the construction of the new building complex to shift the State Assembly and the State Secretariat at Pattinapakkam (Foreshore Estate) in Chennai on an aggregate 25.55 acres of land equipped with modern facilities,
The State government also directed the Public Works Department to submit the Detailed Project Report (DPR), along with estimates, within three months.
On September 3, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay had announced in the state Assembly the State government’s plan to construct a new integrated Secretariat complex in Chennai, spread over 20 lakh sq. ft., at an estimated cost of ₹1,200 crore. At present, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and Secretariat are functioning on the historic Fort St. George campus. According to the G.O. issued by the Public Department, based on the announcement by the Chief Minister, the State government has identified 21.76 acres of land under the possession of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board, 0.93 acres of Greater Chennai Corporation land, 1.73 acres of Revenue Department land, and 1.13 acres of Tamil Nadu Housing Board land under the possession of the State government at Foreshore Estate. This land falls under Mylapore town.
The State government also constituted three committees – a committee to call for Expressions of Interest and finalise the architectural consultancy firm; a committee to finalise building drawings and designs at the preliminary design stage; and a committee to finalise building drawings and designs at the final design stage, the order said.
The State government had already obtained no-objection certificates through letters from the Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Housing Board; Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation; and District Collector, Chennai, for utilising the land.