Kamal Haasan Says Denying TVK Invitation To Form Government Would 'Disrespect People's Mandate' In Tamil Nadu

Chennai: Makkal Needhi Maiyam (MNM) president and Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan on Thursday said that not inviting Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay to form the government in Tamil Nadu would amount to "disrespecting the mandate" of the people.

In a post on X, Haasan said the Assembly election verdict had produced an unprecedented situation in Tamil Nadu, where no single party had secured a majority on its own.

"In the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections, the people have not granted any single party the authority to form a government independently. This outcome is unprecedented in the history of Tamil Nadu," Haasan said.

Referring to outgoing Chief Minister MK Stalin, Haasan praised his response to the election verdict. "My brother, Mr. MK Stalin, has announced, 'We respect the people's verdict; we will function as a responsible opposition.' I respect his political maturity," he said.

Haasan asserted that constitutional authorities must now uphold democratic principles by allowing the single-largest party to stake a claim to form the government.

"Those currently in constitutional positions must now fulfill the same duty. This is not a demand, but a reminder of their constitutional obligation. The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, led by Mr. @TVKVijayHQ, has won 108 seats. Not inviting him to form the government would amount to disrespecting the mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu. 233 elected members are still unable to take their oaths. This is an insult to the state; it is damage to democracy," he said.

Citing the Supreme Court's ruling in the SR Bommai case, Haasan said, "In the S.R. Bommai case, the Supreme Court has clearly stated, 'Majority must be proven in the Legislative Assembly, not in Raj Bhavan. What I am speaking is not party politics. This is the policy voice of an Indian citizen. The verdict of the people of Tamil Nadu must be respected.'"

Meanwhile, Vijay on Thursday held his second meeting in two days with Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan in Chennai. The TVK chief was accompanied by senior party leaders as efforts to form the government continued.

TVK has staked claim to form the government with the support of Congress MLAs, taking the alliance tally to 112, five short of the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member Assembly.

The development comes amid growing support from opposition parties and leaders for inviting TVK to form the government. VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan and the Tamil Nadu unit of the Communist Party of India have also urged the Governor to allow Vijay to prove his majority on the floor of the House.

TVK stunned the 'Dravidian' parties in the state, bringing to an end the DMK-AIADMK three-decade-old 'duopoly'. With Vijay set to vacate one of the two seats he won in the Assembly polls, the effective strength of TVK in the Assembly will become 107.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)