Madurantakam: TVK and its allies launched an attack on DMK in a joint campaign for the bypoll organised at Madurantakam on Thursday. Lauding chief minister C Joseph Vijay for establishing a coalition govt in the state, the leaders said it was essential for TVK candidates to win the bypoll for the “secular, corruption-free” govt to continue.While Vijay chose not to participate, TVK’s senior leaders, including Aadhav Arjuna and N Anand, joined VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan, TNCC president Manickam Tagore, MDMK general secretary Vaiko and IUML leader A M Shahajahan to seek votes for TVK candidates Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama.“The bypoll victory is important for our alliance. If the new chapter of our front, created by establishing a coalition govt should continue, the victory of Maragatham Kumaravel in Madurantakam and Sathyabama in Dharapuram is a must,” Thirumavalavan said. He recalled that he had criticised TVK as an offspring of RSS before the assembly election. “But I realised it was wrong when Vijay allied with Congress,” he said.Vaiko said he decided to quit the DMK alliance after attempts were made by “power centres” in DMK to join hands with AIADMK to form govt after the assembly election. He described the move as a “political fraud”. “I decided to leave the DMK front well before Vijay called on me,” he said.Aadhav alleged that DMK was neither a good ruling party nor a capable opposition party. Referring to DMK leaders’ “sofa model govt” jibe, he said sofas had been sent to alliance partners, not as an inducement, but for their MLAs to sit on after being made ministers.He said VCK, Congress, MDMK and IUML had left the DMK alliance and joined the TVK front because DMK attempted to form govt with AIADMK against the people’s mandate.“If leaders such as Vaiko and Thirumavalavan, who were part of the DMK front for a decade, had walked out of the alliance, former AIADMK MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel and Sathyabama could not be expected to remain with AIADMK,” he said.Tagore rejected DMK’s allegation that Congress left the alliance without prior information. He said party president Mallikarjun Kharge had spoken to DMK MP T R Baalu on the phone and informed him of the party’s decision to join the TVK-led alliance. Tagore stressed the importance of the alliance winning the Oct 6 bypolls.
