LS polls: TN BJP confident of tie-up with Vijayakant's DMDK

Chennai: BJP today expressed confidence of striking an electoral tie-up with actor-politician Vijayakant’s DMDK, saying “certainly” there were chances that the two parties could come together. Asked if there were chances of the two parties striking an alliance, BJP’s state unit president Pon Radhakrishnan said “certainly.” [caption id=“attachment_1351401” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AFP[/caption] “We have already spoken. Based on those discussions and considering the prevailing situation, we are confident that the alliance will happen,” he told reporters here. The party, which has set-up a three member committee under senior leader K N Lakshmanan to hold alliance talks, is already in discussion with PMK, even as the MDMK committee is scheduled to hold later this week, he said. BJP was also in talks with other small local outfits, he added. The former MP took a dig at the protests being led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejrival against the state’s Police, describing the demonstration as a “political gimmick.” Kejriwal was trying to draw political mileage out of the present situation, he claimed. On the issue of arrest of and attacks on Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan navy, he said that till the time Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse was in office, there “won’t be any justice,” to Tamil Nadu fishermen. He assured that a BJP government at Centre led by Narendra Modi will rein in Colombo in this matter. On next week’s talks between fishermen association of India and Sri Lanka here next week, Radhakrishnan expressed doubts if it could bring about any solution. He also disapproved of the protest by a section of BJP workers outside state Congress headquarters here against its leader Manishankar Aiyar’s ’teaboy’ comments targeted at Modi, saying no such demos should be held outside offices of any political party. He however demanded that Aiyar take back his comments. On the Supreme Court commuting the death sentence of 15 death row convicts citing delay, he said there should be a time-bound mechanism for disposal of mercy petitions, lest genuine criminals escape punishment. PTI