Vijaykanth claims oppn space as Jaya sulks

After spoiling AIADMK’s prospects in the Lok Sabha elections, Desiya Morupokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) chief Vijaykanth is all set to occupy the opposition leader’s  slot in Tamil Nadu.

With AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa nursing her wounds in Kodanadu woods, Vijaykanth went all the way to Delhi to launch a scathing attack against the Karunanidhi government .During a well-attended mass hunger strike and public meeting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to protest the alleged attack on Tamil fisherman by the Sri Lankan navy, Vijaykanth made it clear who his real target was.

His 40-minute speech dwelled less on fishermen and more on Karunanidhi turning the DMK into a family company. “Anna (DMK founder Annadurai) used to say that the party is my family. Karunanidhi says that my family is the party,” he said to cheers from the crowd. “He (Karunanidhi) came to Delhi only once in the past few months. But his visit was not aimed at securing sops for the Tamil people, but to ensure good portfolios for his children,” he said.

Vijaykanth also made it clear that he considered himself the true inheritor of late M G Ramachandran. “If anyone asks the youth of Tamil Nadu, who do they want to be like, Karunanidhi or MGR, almost all reply that they want to be like MGR,” he said.

When asked him why he had come all the way to Delhi to protest the fate of Tamil fishermen, Vijaykanth said his party was protesting at various places in Tamil Nadu but the Centre’s attention was also necessary. “After all the DMK is part of the government here and the UPA should know how their ally in the state is dealing with the issue,” he said.

“In fact, when Rahul Gandhi came to Tamil Nadu and was asked about this, he said fishermen in Gujarat  were facing a similar danger. However, I want to say that in Tamil Nadu, the situation is far more serious,” he said.