Vijayakanth hints at DMK tie-up

Chennai: DMDK leader Vijayakanth on Monday hinted at forging alliance with the DMK for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, using his party’s Christmas celebration to convey such inclination through Bishop Ezra Sargunam, known for long as a DMK supporter.

Presiding over the celebrations held at the DMDK headquarters at Koyambedu here, Bishop Sargunam appealed to Vijayakanth to include one more captain in the cockpit for safer flight into the Parliament poll, just as there are two commanders in the cockpit of an airplane.

“I shall certainly consider Bishop Sargun­am’s advice”, said the DMDK chief.Referring to another piece of advice that the pro-DMK priest gave in his speech, that he should have nothing to do with the BJP, Vijayakanth declared that he would “most certainly” consider it.

Tamil Nadu is most likely to witness four main camps fighting the LS polls—AIADMK plus the Left parties, DMK plus Dalit parties and IUML, lonely Congress and a third front mostly comprising PMK, MDMK and BJP.

It was rumoured that this third front was talking to the DMDK leadership but then, Vijayakanth’s Monday assertion makes it seem that he could tie up with the DMK. Also, one cannot rule out the Congress squeezing itself back into the DMK fold riding on Captain’s shoulders, says a source. 

Next: Captain to consider suggestion of  bishop

Captain to consider suggestion of  bishop

Chennai: After declaring it would not align with either the Con­gress or the BJP, the DMK seems to be trying hard to strike a deal with ‘Captain’ Vijayakanth’s DMDK.

He had an interesting gu­est, Bishop Ezra Sarg­u­nam, long considered close to the DMK, at his Chri­st­mas celebration held at pa­rty headquarters in Koya­m­bedu on Monday.

It appeared that the ‘messenger of God’ came with a message from DMK chief M. Karunanidhi. The bishop told the DMDK Captain that it would be safer to have one more captain in the cockpit, just like an airplane has two commanders to manage the flight safely.

“I will consider the suggestion made by Ezra Sarg­unam (about two captains). I will also take into account, most certainly, his advice that I stay away from the BJP,” said Vijayakanth re­sp­onding to Bishop Sarg­unam’s advice during his presidential speech that Captain should shun the B­JP camp and align “with good people”. The bishop sought to lift Captain’s spirits by telling him not to be bothered ab­out the reports that the desertion of some of his MLAs had weakened the DMDK.

“Their going was like the removal of weeds. Now the crop will have a better yield,” said the priest. If his presence at the DMDK Chri­stmas show and the political message he delivered clearly appeared to be a serious attempt by the DMK to rope in Vija­yakanth for the crucial 2014 Parliament elections, Captain’s res­po­nse indicated that the bishop’s mission did not go waste. In his speech, Vijay­ak­anth asserted that the DMDK was not weakened by the de­s­ertions. “Our pa­rty rem­ains strong bec­ause we have the suppo­rt of the people,” he claimed.