AIADMK boycotting Vikravandi by-poll to revive alliance with BJP, says RS Bharathi

CHENNAI: Slamming the AIADMK for boycotting the Vikravandi by poll, DMK organizing secretary R S Bharathi on Monday said that the principal opposition party was citing 'excuses' to boycott the election and somehow revive its alliance with the BJP.

Talking to media persons at DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam, Bharathi said, "Only the ECI (Election Commission of India) conducts the Vikravandi by poll. Everyone knows who controls the ECI." Claiming credit for the recently concluded incident-free Parliamentary election in Tamil Nadu, Bharathi said, "Somehow, they want to revive the alliance and (re) join the BJP alliance. Like P Chidambaram said, they (AIADMK) are citing an excuse to revive alliance with the BJP."

Accusing the AIADMK of introducing "booth capturing" to Tamil Nadu in the 1992 St Thomas Mount Cantonment election in 1991, the DMK organizing secretary said, "People remember the elections that took place in the AIADMK regime. Booth capturing was rampant only in north India then. It was unheard off in Tamil Nadu. Booth capturing was introduced in Tamil Nadu in that election by Jayalalithaa led AIADMK. MLAs were attacked."

"I was personally affected in 2001 after I moved an appeal in the TANSI case. To defeat me, AIADMK had engaged in a conspiracy in the Alandur municipality election. Media reported that Bharathi paid for filing a TANSI appeal. They captured booths. Booths with 2,000 votes polled 2,300 votes. When I filed a complaint with state election commissioner Pandian, as many as 20 booths in Alandur municipality had recorded excess polling. They had even used extra ballot papers and caste bogus votes."

Adding that functionaries of a party must not cast their votes when their high command issues an election boycott call, Bharathi said, "We will find out who all casts votes on polling day. The booth agents know who the AIADMK functionaries are. If the AIADMK functionaries indeed cast their votes, they are the ones ignoring EPS. Is EPS ready to announce that he would expel his party men who cast the vote in violation of the boycott call? He will not do it. They are trying to have an underhand deal with the BJP."

Asserting that the DMK was prepared to face anything as no one else has done so much for Vanniyars as did his leaders Kalaignar and Stalin, Bharathi said that Kalaignar provided 20% reservation to Vanniyars.

"How many of them became doctors and engineers, group I and UPSC after that? Like the women who gratefully voted for Stalin in the LS polls, Vanniyars would realize the benefits they obtained from the 20% reservation and vote for us in Vikravandi. Even if a thousand Ramadoss make an appeal, good hearted Vanniyars with conscience will vote for the DMK alliance, " Bharathi said.