TIRUCHY: MDMK principal secretary was all praise for Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, calling the government "moving ahead at the speed of a horse," amid charges of horse-trading, even as he trained his guns against the DMK for denying them a chance to contest on their own symbol.
He reiterated his tirade against the DMK over the denial of the opportunity to contest in their own symbol, claiming that senior leaders of the party prevented the move and didn't allow them to contest at least one seat on their own for the sake of party recognition.
Speaking to reporters in Tiruchy, Durai Vaiko said the decision to contest the Assembly elections on the DMK symbol had left MDMK cadres disappointed. He claimed that while DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin had accepted the party's request for a separate symbol in at least one constituency, other DMK leaders opposed the proposal.
"MDMK was compelled to contest on the DMK symbol, and our cadres remain frustrated over the decision," he said.
Durai Vaiko said MDMK would participate in the upcoming INDIA bloc meeting despite differences between alliance partners. He noted that the DMK had distanced itself from the INDIA bloc owing to differences with the Congress, but maintained that parties from Tamil Nadu would continue to unite on issues concerning the State.
He further said that although MDMK remains part of the DMK-led alliance, the party's general council meeting scheduled for June 27 would decide its future course of action.
Earlier, Durai Vaiko said he had met TVK president C Joseph Vijay and submitted demands related to the Tiruchy Lok Sabha constituency, including expediting land acquisition for the expansion of the Tiruchy airport runway, declaring Tiruchy the State's second capital, and improving basic amenities at the Gandharvakottai Government Hospital.
"The Tamil Nadu government has been functioning at a horse's pace, and Vijay assured me that these demands would be addressed," he said.