‘VCK MLAs will fight for masses sans bias to party in power’

While the VCK is recognised as a bulwark against casteism and the rise of right-wing forces, its fight against marginalisation and its quest for mainstream’s acceptance get tested in every election.

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The upcoming Assembly election is no exception. Amidst intensive campaigning for the DMK-led alliance while navigating all these electoral challenges, party chief and Chidambaram MP Thol Thirumavalavan sat down with TNIE’s Krithika Srinivasan for an interview. Edited excerpts:

In a recent video, you said the VCK lacked the structuring and orientation for electoral politics. Why has it been unable to create a robust party structure even after 27 years since making debut in electoral politics?

Ours is a movement that began primarily in revolting against the injustice of caste discrimination. It is built on martyrs who lost lives and livelihoods fighting the gory face of casteism. Only in the recent past have we moved towards electoral politics actively with four MLAs and two MPs. So, we are still in our initial stages of learning the rules of electoral math. I am sure we will structure ourselves to be perfect in the near future.