Chennai, Oct 15 (IANS) DMK President M.K. Stalin’s support for the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has fuelled speculation about his party reaching out to the outfit as part of efforts to explore a third front at the national level.
The outreach comes as the DMK seeks political space outside the BJP and Congress-led alliances following its defeat in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election. However, no alliance or agreement with the CJP has been announced.
Stalin condemned the arrest of CJP functionaries Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka in Delhi and offered the DMK’s support, including legal assistance.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke subsequently thanked him for the gesture.
Political circles view the exchange against the backdrop of the DMK’s reported attempts to bring together parties outside the two principal national blocs.
The party’s intervention, however, centred on the arrests and the right to protest.
The DMK had contested the previous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections as part of the Congress-led INDIA bloc. After the Assembly election, Congress joined the victorious TVK-led coalition and secured two ministerial positions, dealing a setback to its former ally.
With the AIADMK aligned with the BJP and the TVK associated with the Congress-led bloc, the DMK faces limited options for positioning itself within either formation.
DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi had earlier met Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray amid discussions about a possible third front.
Those contacts have not produced an arrangement.
The latest developments follow protests in Delhi demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over the special revision of electoral rolls.
Police arrested Das and Ranka for allegedly entering the Jantar Mantar area without authorisation. Questioning the BJP government’s response to demonstrations, Stalin asked how many protesters it could arrest and how many young voices it could suppress.
He said the DMK would stand by the arrested CJP functionaries and was prepared to provide all necessary legal assistance.
Stalin also argued that jailing more young people would only generate further opposition. Ordinary citizens without political affiliations would take to the streets, he said.
While his statement signals solidarity with the CJP, whether that support develops into a wider political understanding remains unclear, with the proposed third front yet to acquire a defined structure or common programme.
–IANS
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