"Minority" TVK government forced byelection for the CM's selfish gain, says Stalin

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M.K. Stalin on Friday accused the "minority" TVK government of forcing next week's assembly byelections for Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's "selfish gain", sharpening the opposition's attack four days before Madurantakam and Dharapuram vote on October 6.

Campaigning in Dharapuram for the DMK's candidate, advocate S. Suganya, Stalin said the "actor Chief Minister" — who played the hero in his last film Jananayagan — had turned into a villain by imposing a byelection through "horse-trading" and the "murder of democracy". The bypolls were necessitated after AIADMK MLAs resigned their seats and joined the TVK to contest on its ticket; in Madurantakam, former AIADMK MLA Maragatham Kumaravel is now the TVK's candidate.

Stalin branded Vijay the "Reels Chief Minister", accused him of behaving like a "cheap minister" instead of a chief minister, and alleged the TVK had admitted its proximity to the BJP. "He admitted that they are a branch of the BJP. I am glad that he spoke that truth," Stalin said. He urged voters to give "a fitting reply to the arrogance" of the government by voting for the Rising Sun symbol.

The attack follows DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi's campaign speech in Dharapuram on September 30, where she alleged the TVK had "stolen people's representatives and caused a by-election". She charged that in the four months since the TVK came to power, the state had seen 500 crimes — including 300 sexual assaults against women and children, 200 murders, eight custodial deaths and ten honour killings. She also alleged the Chief Minister had tried to cover up the death of a girl in Vandalur because it would affect his Madurantakam campaign — an allegation carried in the reports of her speech.

Four days to polling, the byelections have become a referendum on how they were manufactured. Sitting MLAs quit the parties voters elected them on and resurfaced on the ruling party's ticket; cash-for-votes complaints have already reached the Election Commission in both constituencies. Stalin's "minority government" barb cuts both ways — it is also a reminder that the TVK, short of a majority in the House, is fighting to buy the legitimacy the ballot box denied it. Whatever the verdict on October 9, the manner of these byelections has already indicted the process.