Go with DMK, scrap deal with PWF: DMDK MLAs tell ‘Captain’

Ten senior DMDK functionaries, including three MLAs, on Tuesday raised a banner of revolt against the party high command’s decision to align with People’s Welfare Front (PWF) for the May 16 Assembly polls, virtually giving an ultimatum to its chief Vijayakanth to reverse his decision by Wednesday noon.

The party's whip in Tamil Nadu Assembly, V C Chandrakumar, MLAs CH Sekar and SR Parthipan, besides seven others, displayed before reporters ‘a letter to Vijayakanth’ dated March 24, questioning his logic behind aligning with PWF.

“The decision was not taken in line with the aspirations of party functionaries, workers and people whose sole motive is to throw out the Jayalalithaa government, and this is possible only by aligning with the DMK,” Chandrakumar said.

“The decision to align with PWF is against the wishes of 95 per cent of party workers and functionaries who favour a tie-up with DMK,” he said.

Chandrakumar, representing Erode (East) in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, said they were never given an audience by Vijayakanth to discuss the matter after he firmed up the alliance with PWF on March 23 and said the decision had been taken by the actor politician and his wife Premalatha ‘at their house.’ 

“The decision has been taken by Captain (Vijayakanth, as he is addressed by supporters) and Premalatha at their house whereas we have been moving at the grassroots level where supporters and people want DMDK to align with DMK,” he claimed. Chandrakumar said they continued to be in DMDK and had come out in the open only after having exhausted all other avenues to reach Vijayakanth.