“Is Jayalalitha an Extort AIADMK’s Leadership?"

(January 22, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Desia Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam (DMDK) [National Progressive Dravidian Federation] president Vijayakanth has said former Chief Minister in Tamil Nadu and AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran had never declared Jayalalithaa as his political heir.

He was reacting to the claim of AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa that she and her party were the successors of MGR.

Coming down heavily on her remarks while addressing activists who newly joined in his party at Perundurai near Erode, the actor-turned- politician said Jayalalithaa had never spent a single rupee for the poor when she was an actress.

‘But I have been involved in lot of welfare activities for the past 25 years.

I am giving Rs 50,000 year after year to the home for the dumb and deaf at MGR’s residence at Ramavaram.’

Stating that MGR never had announced Jayalalithaa as his political heir, Viijayakanth said he (MGR) had once made it clear that the people of Tamilnadu were his successors.

Jayalalithaa’s emergence as the leader of the AIADMK was an accident, he said. ‘I never declared myself as his heir. But I am following his footsteps.

Like Ekalavya in Mahabharatam who took Dhronacharya as his teacher, MGR is my political guru. And I want to establish a clean and corruption- free government like he did.’

Vijayakanth also wanted to know why Jayalalithaa went to the residence of MGR after a long gap.

Adding more, he said MGR had never acquired any assets like bungalows or estates when he was the Chief Minister of the State.

He said the DMDK would contest on its own in the next Parliamentary election and would win in all 40 seats in Tamilnadu and Puducherry.

Vijayakanth said that already regional parties and national parties had failed miserably to fulfil the basic needs of common man, including the DMK and the AIADMK.

He said even former Chief Minister and DMK founder C N Annadurai had not declared Karunanidhi as his political heir.

Earlier, nearly 20,000 persons from different parties like the DMK, AIADMK, PMK, BJP and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi joined the DMDK in the presence of Vijayakanth.