PUDUKKOTTAI: Former AIADMK minister Dr C Vijayabaskar who recently resigned from his MLA post, has begun distributing gift hampers door to door in the Viralimalai Assembly constituency a couple of days back, thanking voters for their support, even as uncertainty continues over when he will join the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
According to his supporters, each hamper, worth around Rs 300, contains a stainless steel container, a tin of gulab jamun, a pen and a printed note thanking voters for the 1,05,723 votes he received in the recent Assembly election. In the note, Vijayabaskar says, "As long as I live, my loyalty and gratitude will remain with the development of our land and our people."
The drive is similar to the Pongal outreach he carried out before the election, when gift hampers were distributed to nearly 80,000 ration card holders across the constituency worth Rs. 800.
The distribution comes days after Vijayabaskar's supporters publicly backed his reported move to TVK. At a meeting on June 17, former and current AIADMK district, union, town and wing-level functionaries passed a resolution saying they would stand by whatever decision he takes. Sources said 24 union secretaries, eight town secretaries and around 40 district office-bearers attended the meeting.
The gift distribution has sparked criticism on social media. Anti-corruption activists alleged that distributing gifts ahead of a possible political comeback was an attempt to influence voters. They also referred to the corruption allegations Vijayabaskar had faced during his tenure as a minister.
His supporters dismissed the criticism, saying the hampers were only a token of thanks to the people who had elected him from Viralimalai since 2011.
There was no immediate response from Vijayabaskar to the criticism.
Meanwhile, his entry into TVK is yet to be officially announced. Though supporters have begun making arrangements to travel to Chennai, sources said the announcement has been delayed as Vijayabaskar is expected to join the party in the presence of TVK president Vijay. Unlike several recent entrants who joined before party general secretary N. Anand at the Panaiyur headquarters, Vijayabaskar is likely to be inducted by Vijay himself, sources added.
