Tea-sipping, tractor-driving CM Vijay now a seasoned politician: Karti P Chidambaram

SIVAGANGA: Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram on Saturday showered a lot of praise on Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, saying that the TVK chief appears to have quickly grasped the demands of election campaigning and is emerging as a seasoned politician, pointing to his recent campaign acts, from sipping tea in public to driving a tractor during election rallies.

Speaking to reporters at the Sivaganga Congress office, Chidambaram said Vijay appeared to be adapting to the demands of electoral politics.

His comments came amid questions about the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)’s campaign and allegations that the party was distributing money to voters in a by-election. Chidambaram said he had no information about the alleged money distribution.

If such payments had indeed been made, he added, it would not be the first time such a practice had occurred in Tamil Nadu.

The Congress MP also touched upon the changing political alignments in the State, noting that one party had left the INDIA bloc while another had joined it. He welcomed the TVK’s participation in the day’s meeting, signalling the evolving political equations ahead of the elections.

The electoral process itself, however, needed greater attention, he said, taking aim at the Election Commission. The poll body was expected to facilitate voting for citizens aged 18 and above, but he alleged it instead focused on removing eligible voters.

Moving from electoral politics to issues affecting voters in their daily lives, Chidambaram backed the free bus travel scheme for women, saying greater use of public transport could reduce private vehicle use, traffic congestion and fuel expenditure. He also welcomed increased reliance on government transport services.

The use of government transport infrastructure for political branding, however, was another matter, he said, observing that ruling parties painting transport corporation buses in their party colours was a common practice.

Similarly, he said, questions of accessibility and public convenience should guide decisions on road signboards, referring to the controversy over the use of Hindi.