Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who had challenged the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam to contest the Sankarankoil by-poll alone, deployed 32 Ministers in the constituency where they campaigned during the day and distributed money to voters in the night, DMDK founder Vijayakant alleged on Friday.
The Leader of the Opposition (suspended) in the Assembly flayed the Election Commission and the police for their failure to check the ruling party activists from bribing voters. “Is this the way for a 40-year-old party to win an election?”
Winding up his campaign in the reserved constituency, Mr. Vijayakant said that the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which wanted the DMDK to go it alone, had been adding new parties to its fold for facing the election, “out of fear”.
“We won the by-poll when the ruling party started distributing money,” he remarked. Saying that the victory of the AIADMK or DMDK will not add any significance to their strength in the Assembly, he said that an AIADMK defeat would result in the increase in bus fares and milk prices being scrapped.
The actor-turned-politician said that he would rake up people's issues again in the Assembly after his 10-day suspension ended. “No one can stop me.”
Referring to DMK president M. Karunanidhi's warning that he would immolate himself if the ruling party went ahead with its proposal to shift the Anna Centenary Library, Mr. Vijayakant asked why he had failed to make such a statement on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.
