MDMK chief Vaiko plays Tamil card, seeks votes

CHENNAI: Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko said that he would continue to raise his voice for any issue pertaining to the Tamil cause.Addressing a public meeting here on Saturday seeking support for his party’s mayoral candidate M Manoharan, Vaiko said that he was the first person to register his objection in Parliament when the Lankan Tamils issue was brought before the House by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988.Vaiko said that he would not keep mum when something is done against the interest of Tamils.He called for the support of the people to vote MDMK candidates to power in the local body elections to facilitate corruption-free governance in local bodies which would be a precursor to the ensuing Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections.Speaking on Sterlite industry, Vaiko said that the company’s initial plans to set up shop in Maharashtra had to be shelved after protests from the local people there.On the opening up of foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail sales, Vaiko said that he was always against this as it would wreak havoc in the lives of the huge population of the country.