CHENNAI: Chief Minister and TVK president C Joseph Vijay on Friday turned his campaign for the October 6 Madurantakam bypoll into a sharp political offensive against the DMK, AIADMK and BJP, defending his government's record on debt, development and welfare while questioning the Opposition over corruption allegations raised in the Assembly and asking, "I was not born then. So what?"
Amid the otherwise combative speech, he struck a lighter note while referring to Stalin. "Whether Stalin wins or loses, he is my Uncle. He is my 'sweet uncle'," Vijay said, in a veiled jibe.
Seeking to defend Maragatham Kumaravel's switch, Vijay said the former AIADMK MLA had made a political decision amid shifting equations in the State and urged voters to look beyond her resignation. Vijay then launched into a detailed rebuttal of the DMK's criticism of his references to alleged corruption in earlier regimes.
"When we speak about corruption in the Assembly, they say Vijay was not even born then. I ask them, what does it matter when I was born? Read the history and everything will come to light," he said.
He said it was his responsibility to place past allegations before the present generation and alleged that the Opposition repeatedly shifted its position on the issue of evidence.
"If we say corruption, they ask us to show the evidence. If we show the evidence, they say it must be proved in court. If the matter is before the court, they say it cannot be discussed in the Assembly," Vijay said.
He reiterated his pledge that public money would neither be misused nor allowed to be misused. The TVK supremo claimed that DMK is the real BJP: "The DMK in Delhi is BJP; the BJP in Tamil Nadu is DMK." He alleged that the AIADMK, formerly a "branch" of the BJP, had now become a "branch" of the DMK.
Invoking the political legacy of MGR and Jayalalithaa, Vijay recalled their repeated description of the DMK as "theeya shakthi" and said the same description applied to his party's current contest with the DMK. He also referred to past remarks made by Stalin about Jayalalithaa, saying the comments continued to circulate and that voters were closely watching the conduct of political leaders.
He also mounted a spirited defence of his government's borrowing, saying he had inherited a difficult financial situation and had sought time to implement the TVK's promises.
"Yes, I am borrowing. But I am not borrowing to loot. I am borrowing to do good for the people and to fulfil, step by step, the promises we made," Vijay said.
Referring to the TVK's promise of six LPG cylinders, he said the government could currently provide three due to prevailing financial constraints, while insisting that the promise would be implemented progressively. He highlighted the expansion of free bus travel for women and said his government had delivered some commitments ahead of schedule, including raising the milk procurement price.
On the Parandur airport issue, Vijay said his government was not opposed to development, but would not allow development to come at the cost of Chennai, water bodies or farmers.
"We decided that Chennai should not be affected, water bodies should not be affected and farmers should not be affected," he said.
He also claimed that the DMK had begun to acknowledge that the principal political contest was between the DMK and the TVK.