The first political conference of the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi(TVK), a party launched in January by rebel PMK leader Panruti Velmurugan, choked Cuddalore on Sunday as a crowd of about 25,000 thronged the town, arriving in vehicles that were parked for about three km along the roads.
In what was a show of strength in the otherwise PMK bastion, the conference saw Velmurugan, who was a two-time MLA from Panruti and the joint general secretary of the PMK before he was expelled last year, launching a broadside against PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss by telling the crowd: “I will not let you down like Ramadoss”.
However, he said, TVK is not a caste-based party. “Tamil people from any caste or religion can become members. The party’s only aim is to fight for our rights. All people in Karnataka, cutting across castes and political lines, were united in denying our rights on the Cauvery water. But here in our state, Tamil people are not united even to voice for our right.”
He slammed the Centre for doing nothing to ensure the river water rights of TN and condemned the Lankan minister for making remarks that suggested a possible massacre of Tamils again.
He said that there were only two “legendary forests” recorded in Tamil history — one is Vanni where LTTE leader lived and the other being the sandalwood forest where Veerappan lived. “A third would become legendary - the cashew forest.”