The victory of DMK candidate Marudu Ganesh in R.K. Nagar would herald the party’s ascension of power in the State, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who appeared on the DMK dais after a gap of 13 years, predicted here on Monday.
“R.K. Nagar will lay the foundation and Marudu Ganesh’s victory will be the beginning of DMK’s ascension to power. Nothing will prevent DMK’s leader M.K. Stalin becoming the Chief Minister and we will address him as Chief Minister Stalin,” he said at an election meeting in the constituency on Monday evening.
Criticises Governor
Mr. Vaiko, once a strong critic of Mr. Stalin, recalled that DMK president M. Karunanidhi had secured rights for the Chief Ministers of States to hoist the national flag on Independence Day but the activities of present Governor Banwarilal Purohit had posed a challenge to State autonomy, democracy and its rights.
“The Governor, in a way, is functioning as if there is an emergency in the country and the AIADMK government is behaving like shameless slaves. He convenes a meeting in Coimbatore and a State Minister is attending it by sitting in a corner,” he alleged and appreciated Mr. Stalin’s warning that his party would not keep quiet if the Governor continued with his anti-democratic activities.
He said that India was an amalgamation of various nationalities and secularism was the bulwark of Indian democracy, Mr Vaiko said the BJP-led centre sought to destroy it.
TNCC president Su. Thirunavukkarasar said Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who failed to visit Kanniyakumari district to assess the damage caused by Ockhi and meet families of fishermen killed in the cyclone, had no right to continue in power.
“The Governor is trying to dominate the scene because the government has lost its credibility and it should be removed at all cost,” he said.
