TTV calls TVK’s video AI; party claims support voluntary

Chennai: AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran on Friday escalated his attack on TVK by questioning the authenticity of the video released by the Vijay-led party showing MLA S Kamaraj extending support for govt formation, even as TVK sources maintained that the backing was voluntary and based on direct communication between the legislator and the party's strategist team.The confrontation came at a time when TVK was defending its decision to approach Governor R V Arlekar before securing public support from all opposition parties. On Friday, TVK internally calculated that it could cross the halfway mark in the 233-member assembly with the backing of its 107 MLAs, five Congress legislators, four left legislators and Kamaraj's support letter, taking the tally to 117 during a floor test.However, Dhinakaran on Saturday alleged that the letter and video circulated by TVK were fabricated and demanded that the original signed document be made public. Referring to the footage released online, he questioned who recorded the video and who coordinated the move within TVK, naming chief coordinator K A Sengottaiyan and functionary C T R Nirmal Kumar.Calling the footage "AI-generated," Dhinakaran accused Vijay's party of indulging in forgery to strengthen its claim before the governor. He also claimed that the support letter submitted by TVK was included among the annexures attached to Vijay's communication to Raj Bhavan and demanded a probe into the issue to verify its authenticity.TVK sources, meanwhile, claimed that Kamaraj voluntarily agreed to support the party and remained in constant touch with members of the strategist team before submitting the letter. The party denied allegations of coercion or horse-trading, particularly after efforts by Dhinakaran to formally align AMMK with TVK fell through earlier this week. TVK leaders privately alleged that pressure from NDA triggered the reversal.