Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK chief C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the main opposition DMK and hit out at the key Dravidian major AIADMK by accusing it of betraying its iconic leaders MG Ramachandran (MGR) and J Jayalalithaa.
Addressing a public meeting in Dharapuram for the October 6 bypoll, Vijay yet again dubbed the DMK as an evil force and sought votes for his party's candidate P Sathyabama.
He urged the people to teach a fitting lesson to the AIADMK and DMK who tried to "scuttle" government formation initiatives by the TVK by plotting together.
Vijay said voting for either the AIADMK or DMK does not make any difference and alleged that both parties were just the same. Both pretend outwardly, but they have a tacit understanding, he alleged.
The TVK government was implementing promises and ensured graft-free governance, Vijay said. He listed out various welfare initiatives of the government, including the just-rolled-out gold ring for newborns scheme.
Asserting that his party viewed all faiths equally, he said TVK would greet them on the occasion of Krishna Jayanthi, Christmas and Bakrid.
Rejecting horse-trading allegations against the TVK in the backdrop of AIADMK legislators, such as TVK's Dharapuram bypoll candidate Satyabama joining his party, Vijay said she resigned as MLA first before joining TVK.
Earlier, after landing in Coimbatore, Vijay travelled to Dharapuram, located in Tiruppur district by road. His travel on a caravan turned into an impromptu road show, with party supporters and people lining up on either sides of the road to greet him and a catch a glimpse of the actor-turned-politician. They also showered flower petals and presented him gifts on the way, with his convoy pausing briefly during such occasions.
According to police, elaborate security arrangements had been made for the meeting and about 3,000 personnel were deployed.
The TVK had said that entry to the venue was restricted to QR code passes, capping the number of attendees at 5,000.
(With inputs from PTI)
