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No BJP alliance ever: Ex-revenue officer who joined actor Vijay's party

No BJP alliance ever: Ex-revenue officer who joined actor Vijay's party

India Today11 hours ago
In an exclusive interaction with India Today, KG Arunraj, a former Indian Revenue Service officer and now the general secretary of propaganda and policy of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), dismissed any alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and claimed that the party led by actor-politician Vijay is all set to form the next government in Tamil Nadu.Arunraj, who took voluntary retirement to join Vijay's newly launched political outfit in June, said the TVK has never entertained the idea of aligning with the BJP.advertisement'Our leader made it very clear in our first party conference at Vikravandi that there will be no alliance - direct or indirect - with the BJP. This has been our stand right from the beginning,' he stated, referring to recent speculation.
Responding to comments by BJP leaders like Nainar Nagendran and Tamilisai Soundararajan, who suggested Vijay should align with the BJP, Arunraj dismissed them as 'unsolicited advice.' He said, 'If they really have strength in Tamil Nadu, they should grow their party organically. They claim to be the biggest party in India, then why do they need our shoulders? We are not here to let anyone climb using us. Tamil and Periyar soil will continue to shut the doors on the BJP- now and forever.'Arunraj positioned TVK as the sole force genuinely opposing the ruling DMK, calling out what he described as the Chief Minister's 'work-from-home politics.' He cited Vijay's visit to actor Ajith Kumar's home in Sivakasi to personally offer condolences, contrasting it with the CM's gesture of only calling. 'Our leader has stepped onto the ground from day one and shown he genuinely cares for the people,' he said.Addressing suggestions that TVK is being soft on the AIADMK in the hopes of a future alliance, Arunraj denied such motives. 'Our job is to question the party in power. Since DMK is ruling, we are questioning DMK. Our leader has made it clear—TVK is neither AIADMK nor DMK to make compromises with BJP,' he added.On the issue of youth support, Arunraj said that the entry of Vijay into politics has energized a generation disillusioned by corruption and dynastic politics. 'Before TVK, there was apathy among youth. Today, they are our biggest strength. Vijay evoked the legacies of Periyar, Kamarajar, Velunachiyar, and Anjalai Ammal, reintroducing their ideologies to a generation that had lost touch.'Responding to Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan's remark that politics is not easy and that Vijay should be prepared for hardship, Arunraj took the comment in stride. 'We are not AIADMK, DMK or even Jana Sena. We know politics is difficult. Easy things anyone can do - difficult things are for great leaders like Vijay,' he said.On the road ahead, Arunraj was confident that the 2026 Assembly elections would mark a turning point. 'TVK will sweep the elections. We will form the government and Vijay will be sworn in as Chief Minister. He will bring real development to Tamil Nadu,' he said.- EndsMust Watch
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'Hit below their eardrums': In Mumbai, Thackeray cousins go no-filter
'Hit below their eardrums': In Mumbai, Thackeray cousins go no-filter

Time of India

time27 minutes ago

  • Time of India

'Hit below their eardrums': In Mumbai, Thackeray cousins go no-filter

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Raj & Uddhav share public platform after 20 years
Raj & Uddhav share public platform after 20 years

United News of India

time41 minutes ago

  • United News of India

Raj & Uddhav share public platform after 20 years

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Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya warns of protests in metro stations if Yellow Line not opened by August
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya warns of protests in metro stations if Yellow Line not opened by August

Deccan Herald

timean hour ago

  • Deccan Herald

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya warns of protests in metro stations if Yellow Line not opened by August

Bengaluru: Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Saturday led an agitation against repeated delays in opening of the Yellow Line Metro in the city. The BJP leader said that there would be protests in metro stations if BMRCL breaks its August deadline for the operationalisation of the line to calls by citizens and public representatives on the early opening of Namma Metro's Yellow Line, the BMRCL stated that the RV Road-Bommasandra metro line would 'hopefully' be thrown open in mid-August. Surya, in response, denounced the BMRCL for breaking its own deadlines over 10 times on the Yellow Line and warned of protests in the metro stations along the route by the public if this final commitment by the metro organisation is broken Metro's daily ridership will rise from 8.5 lakh to 14 lakh, says BMRCL chief .'Bengaluru's traffic crisis can be resolved only if private vehicles on the road reduce and ridership in public transport increases,' Surya said, addressing a crowd outside Lalbagh. 'Due to the delay in the opening of the Yellow Line, commuters are stuck in traffic jams at Silk Board and other junctions. The BMRCL has been breaking its own deadlines several times. If this commitment to open the line in August is also broken, then people will have no option but to protest outside each of the Yellow Line's unopened metro stations.'On Saturday, a delegation of citizens, led by Surya, Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan, MLAs M Krishnappa (Bengaluru South), Ravi Subramanya (Basavanagudi), Uday Garudachar (Chickpet), CK Ramamurthy (Jayanagar), MLC Gopinath Reddy and BJP Bengaluru South organisational district, staged a protest at Lalbagh Main Gate. The delegation submitted a memorandum to the BMRCL MD at the their memorandum, they criticized the BMRCL for causing severe inconvenience to Bengalureans in their daily commute due to the ongoing delays in the opening of the Yellow Line. The Yellow Line spans from RV Road to Bommasandra, covering 16 stations over a distance of 19.15 km. Once operational, the line is expected to serve 2.5 lakh passengers daily, significantly easing congestion in critical areas like Electronic City and Silk Board. It was initially slated to open in 2021, but multiple delays over the years have created uncertainty regarding its opening and operationalisation.. First scheduled for 2021, the launch was pushed to late 2023, then postponed to just before the 2024 General Elections. Following that, a new deadline of January 2025 was announced, which has now been extended to July 2025. Even now, BMRCL officials are only hopeful of having the line operational by August Yellow Line to get first fully India-made train in early Aug, two a month from has been at the forefront in pushing for the completion of the line's civil works. He also addressed several roadblocks during this period. Through multiple stakeholder meetings and ministerial interventions, Surya enabled the early supply of car bodies for the metro train and also obtained the necessary visa clearances for the Chinese engineers working on the metro rakes. He also coordinated a dedicated line in Titagarh for manufacturing trains for BMRCL. Surya also coordinated between CRRC and software provider Melco to deliver the beta version of TCMS (Train Control Management Software) by January 2024, ahead of its earlier June 2024 PC Mohan and other BJP MLAs from Bengaluru have been consistently following up and pressing for the early commissioning of the line.

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