CHENNAI: In a seeming softening of stand towards the DMK, MDMK leader Vaiko has appreciated its stand on seeking a referendum on Sri Lankan Tamils issue.
Vaiko said he would join hands with ‘friends’ on the basis of ideology to fight for the rights of Tamil Nadu and to protect democracy in the State. His remarks come a week after DMDK leader Vijayakant appealed to all parties in Tamil Nadu to unite and fight for democracy.
However, before the Lok Sabha elections, Vaiko had opposed the entry of DMK into the NDA fold and openly declared that he would not have any overt or covert relationship with the party.
His speech on Monday at Poonamallee here was full of criticism against the AIADMK government on several fronts, including law and order and economy.
Vaiko’s remarks came on the day when DMK treasurer M K Stalin declared that party patriarch M Karunanidhi would be the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2016 Assembly elections. The MDMK leader also ruled himself out of the race for Chief Minister, saying he doesn’t want any post and added that he would strive to win power for his colleagues. The NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu at present has around 19 per cent votes, while the DMK has a nearly 24 per cent vote share, crossing the 40 per cent mark put together, as per the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
During the TESO event earlier in September, Karunanidhi had lauded the efforts of Modi on the Lankan Tamils issue and his negotiations with the Tamil Nationalist Alliance in the island nation.