Coalition government here to stay in Tamil Nadu like Kerala, says Kader Mohideen

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) national president K.M. Kader Mohideen on Saturday said Tamil Nadu had ushered in a coalition government on the lines of Kerala and that it would continue in the future.

“C. Joseph Vijay has launched a new beginning in Tamil Nadu politics. It is going to stay in Tamil Nadu,” he told The Hindu. He asserted that even in 1967, there had been an opportunity to form a coalition government, but the DMK secured a majority on its own. “C. Rajagopalachari and Quaid-e-Millath, who were part of the DMK alliance, gave their consent for the DMK to form its own government. After that, nobody talked seriously about a coalition government,” he said.

Mr. Mohideen reiterated that, but for the Muslim votes, the DMK could not have won many seats in the elections. “The victories of Udhayanidhi Stalin, K.N. Nehru, and the DMK’s Palayamkottai candidate Abdul Wahab were possible because of Muslim votes. We politicised the community to vote for the DMK. Let them study the voting pattern in the constituencies they won,” he said.

He explained that the IUML had to respect the overwhelming sentiment within the community in favour of supporting the TVK government and joining it. “Our community felt that it was the best way to prevent the BJP from imposing President’s rule,” I received calls from within the country and abroad urging me to participate in the government,” he said.

When asked whether the IUML would continue as part of the DMK alliance in the future, he said only time would tell.