COIMBATORE: Recalling his association with the late MP Ganeshamurthi, MDMK chief Vaiko said the former reluctantly joined the DMK as member in 2019 to contest the Lok Sabha election.
“He reluctantly joined the DMK again only to become an MP in 2019. The situation was such that he would get a chance to contest the elections only if he became a member of DMK. After being a DMK member (from 2019), it is not easy to become an MDMK functionary. If he wanted to do so, he would have to quit as DMK member. I had told Ganeshamurthi he could contest in 2026 Assembly elections from any constituency of his choice on behalf of MDMK. He asked me to consider him this time only if DMK offered two seats. If only one seat was offered, he said Durai should contest,” Vaiko said in Coimbatore on Thursday.
This statement by Vaiko throws light on the reluctance of small parties to field candidates on DMK symbol which is not new. This is the reason why Durai Vaiko, who is contesting from Tiruchy, broke down while speaking in a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders, especially DMK ministers and functionaries, in Tiruchy recently.
Durai Vaiko had broke down recently while speaking about his father, the party and the discussion with DMK regarding the symbol. When a cadre asked him what symbol he would contest on, an emotional Durai asserted that he would contest on his own symbol, come what may.
Durai further clarified that even if they were not allotted seats, MDMK would have stood with DMK. “We respect DMK and its symbol, but we shall face this election with an independent symbol,” he said.
An MDMK functionary in Coimbatore said a majority of party cadre felt the same way as Ganeshamurthi and Durai Vaiko. “Though DMK was our parent organisation, we parted ways and charted our own course for around 30 years,” he said.
“While contesting on other party symbol, we have to quit our party and join the other one. The symbol is our identity. If we had got two seats, we would have managed to get our ‘Top’ symbol. However, we have not lost hope yet and are trying to contest on a separate symbol rather than contesting on DMK symbol. Even if win by contesting on the DMK symbol, the victory will not be ours. This is what Ganeshamurthi felt in 2019 and Durai Vaiko now,” he said.