MADURAI: Throughout his political career spanning nearly four decades, the one attribute that Vaiko could never shed was his volatility. In a moment of seeming candidness, the MDMK leader pulled out of the race in Kovilpatti on Monday by fielding his lieutenant. This isn’t the first time Vaiko has renounced a post or backed out of a fight, and this is what political observers say could be his undoing.
Gandhiya Makkal Iyakkam president Tamilaruvi Manian says this decision could prove to be yet another setback in his political career. “Vaiko, who is usually an emotional person, has made a lot of mistakes in his political career. He was a key player in clinching the DMDK-PWA-TMC alliance. However, his present emotional decision has dealt a setback to his alliance,” says Tamilaruvi Manian. He recalled that Vaiko had made a similar “mistake” in 2011 Assembly election when he decided to boycott the polls then. “Now, he has announced that he will not contest from the Kovilpatti constituency. This decision is yet another setback to his political career,” Manian said.
The Gandhiya Makkal Iyakkam leader, meanwhile, wondered how Vaiko could accept DMDK leader Vijayakant as the chief ministerial candidate of the Third Front, and declare the alliance as a “Vijayakant team”.
However, though the MDMK firebrand leader is not unknown to controversies, there is no denying the fact that Vaiko has created a benchmark in his political career. Hailing from a Congress family in Tirunelveli district, Vaiko made his maiden public speech at the age of eight in the presence of Krishna Doss Gandhi, who had come to his village Kalingapatti for the ‘bhoomidhaan’ movement. However, he was impressed by the DMK agitation against Hindi language.
Vaiko graduated in economics from St Xavier’s College, Palayamkottai and got his Master’s from the Presidency College, Chennai. During the college days, he participated in DMK meetings and was so impressed by DMK leaders C Annadurai and M Karunanidhi that he joined the DMK Students’ Wing in 1970. Later, he was elected panchayat president of his own village Kalingapatti in 1970 and elected Kuruvikulam panchayat union president during 1970-76. After his remarkable speech at a public meeting, Karunanidhi promoted him as propaganda secretary of the Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts. He entered the Rajya Sabha in 1978 and had been member of the Upper House for three terms. He was also elected to the Lok Sabha twice. In 1993, Vaiko parted ways with the DMK following differences of opinion with party president Karunanidhi over the latter’s attempt to promote and groom his son MK Stalin to succeed him. On May 6, 1994, Vaiko floated his new party MDMK.
Vaiko was offered a berth in the Union Cabinet by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but he flatly refused. A rare breed of politician he is. So much rare that the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too appreciated his good cause.